To answer the title question directly - yes (we'll build our first solution/product) and no (our culture, way of working with the team will mostly remain the same).
You may have noticed that DareData is developing Gen-OS, our platform that aims to redefine the future of enterprise operating systems.
Ok, sorry for the jargon. What do I mean by "operating system"? Basically, we believe that an operating system of the company is any medium that exchanges information inside a company (or to the outside).
If you’re familiar with us, you might think of DareData as primarily a service and consulting company that connects talented freelancers with AI projects worldwide. While that’s still a part of what we do, DareData is aiming to become more than that.
At our core, DareData remains true to its mission and values. We are still committed to democratizing Machine Learning, fostering a network where professionals are well-compensated, personally fulfilled, and engaged in exciting, meaningful projects. We still thrive on identifying and taking on impactful projects for our people and our network members. Our culture remains intact, and we are as dedicated to building innovative solutions for our clients.
But, one of the forms of how we will do it is evolving.
Why? There are several reasons, and I’ll dive into them in this post.
We believe that the consulting work we’ve done over the years has provided us with significant signal into a recurring need: an enterprise-level operating system that integrates with legacy databases.
Recently, we’ve been deeply involved in numerous GenAI projects. As a result, we’ve gained a profound understanding of how to address GenAI challenges—going far beyond simple API calls. At DareData we’ve been at the forefront of this field for over five years, doing deep technical work. Machine Learning is embedded in our DNA, and our team is made up of skilled ML engineers by design. These skills will be extremely valuable for building Gen-OS and we trust that our team is ready for it.
With the rise of GenAI, the importance of robust software and data engineering has never been greater. These elements are critical for building scalable, secure, and efficient solutions that can truly unlock the potential of GenAI technologies for the future.
All enterprises will go from Digital to AI-First processes in the next decade
In the coming years, enterprises across industries will undergo a significant transformation, shifting from traditional digital processes to becoming fundamentally AI-first organizations. This will be the only way for most enterprises to keep their competitive advantage against new agile entrants in every market.
The transition from "digital-first" to "AI-first" is driven by the unprecedented capabilities of artificial intelligence. While digital transformation over the last decade primarily focused on digitizing workflows and enhancing connectivity from paper to digital, the AI-first approach goes a step further.
AI-first enterprises will prioritize embedding AI into every aspect of their operations, from customer service to supply chain management, from marketing strategies to product development. This transformation requires not only adopting advanced technologies but also being able to keep some consistency across AI agents.
For companies to succeed in this AI-first era, they must view AI not as a standalone tool but as an integral part of their core business strategy. This means that AI Agents will, probably, need to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update and Delete) operations on the enterprises' legacy systems.
Enterprises will need open code to integrate AI deeply into their organization
To fully embrace the transformative potential of AI, enterprises will require open and accessible codebases to integrate AI into the core of their organizations. They will not want to fully depend on the pricing of closed solutions, particularly if these replace the entire backbone of the company.
Open code enables businesses to go beyond typical off-the-shelf AI solutions, which often provide limited flexibility and generic capabilities. The transparency of open code is critical for fostering trust and accountability in AI-driven systems. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into decision-making processes, organizations need clear visibility into how the system operates.
From a practical standpoint, open code ensures interoperability across an enterprise's technology stack. Organizations often rely on a mix of legacy systems, third-party tools, and modern cloud platforms. Open-code solutions provide the flexibility needed to integrate AI much better into this diverse environment, avoiding vendor lock-in and ensuring long-term scalability.
Replacing the backbone of enterprises will always need customization
Replacing the backbone of an enterprise—the core systems and processes that drive its operations—is never a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It inherently demands a degree of customization to align with the unique needs, goals, and complexities of each organization.
Enterprises are built on a foundation of systems that have been tailored over time to meet industry-specific requirements, regulatory standards, and customer expectations. These systems often include deeply integrated workflows, legacy software, and specialized tools that have become critical to day-to-day operations. Replacing or upgrading this backbone with new technologies, particularly with the introduction of AI-driven systems or next-generation platforms, cannot be accomplished with off-the-shelf solutions alone.
We’ve seen that 70% of Gen-OS is transferable across companies, while the remaining 30% requires customization to meet the unique needs of each customer. And we don't believe that there is a product able to do the 100% needed to deeply embed AI into companies.
And DareData lives happily with this balance - we're ok with providing consulting and tailored services to ensure the success of that 30% during every Gen-OS implementation.
We want to be fewer than what we first envisioned
When we first began shaping our vision for DareData, we imagined building a large team, filled with diverse roles and specialties to tackle the challenges as consultants.
However, as we’ve grown and learned, our perspective has evolved. We now believe that remaining a smaller team is more aligned with our values but also a strategic advantage in achieving our long-term goals.
A leaner organization allows us to maintain the unique culture that defines us. With fewer people, communication is clearer, collaboration is stronger, and decision-making is faster. Everyone in the team feels more connected to the mission, the vision, and each other. The Gen-OS business model will enable us to scale the company without growing the company to huge numbers (as being 100% consulting typically depends).
So... are you still doing consulting?
The answer is a yes! We firmly believe that consulting is not just a service we provide—it’s an integral part of the discovery process that drives innovation and deepens our understanding of the challenges our customers face.
Consulting allows us to work closely with clients, immersing ourselves in their unique contexts, workflows, and industries. It’s through this hands-on collaboration that we uncover the nuances of their problems and identify opportunities for impactful solutions (such as Gen-OS). Every ML and Data Engineering consulting gig is a learning experience that sharpens our expertise.
In fact, consulting played a role in shaping the very products we build. Take Gen-OS, for example. Much of its foundation is informed by the insights we’ve gathered over years of consulting.
Also, consulting in Data Science and Engineering provides fun and diverse projects for our team members - and we absolutely believe that they should have fun while working with us. :-)
Gen-OS is currently being implemented in 4 enterprises and we are seeing a lot of demand for it. We believe that we are in a great space to start our journey towards a product / solution based company.
We might (and will) be wrong in a lot of things. But if we are right on few, this should be a fun ride for us (the founders) and the entire team. Stay tuned for this newsletter to keep updated on our journey 🙂
If you want to know Gen-OS, ping me at ivo@daredata.ai