Joining a coworking space means working alongside people who are chipping away on any number of projects or innovations. It’s our pleasure to help you get to know what other Duo Works members are working on, so that you can have deeper conversations in the kitchen or maybe even collaborate on a project or two. For this member spotlight, it was our pleasure to interview Dan Bryant.
Get to Know Dan
Dan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Datahoist, the only elevator maintenance solution that provides rich, comprehensive data on the overall health of any kind of elevator. It combines IoT data for each elevator with the latest cloud-based predictive analytics and machine learning so that you can monitor the health of elevators in real time, simplify maintenance, and dramatically lower maintenance costs.
Dan, where are you originally from, and when did you move to Austin?
I am originally from Waco but moved to Austin in ’77 after graduating from High School in NLR Arkansas.
What inspired you to start Datahoist?
My first startup was created in ’93. One of the first products of this business was an elevator monitor that was later turned into a remote monitor. I have designed new generations from time to time and created Datahoist to own the IP for a remote elevator monitor using IoT tech. It’s called Industrial IoT now.
What’s going on with your business right now, and what are you most proud of?
Last spring, we secured seed-round funding from local investors. With this funding, we’re able to increase manufacturing by two orders of magnitude so that we can have a global reach. This funding also allows us to support and make payroll for our team, which is ultimately what I am most proud of as a founder.
Another major win for our business is that we were accepted into the Microsoft IoT & AI Insider Lab two years ago. As part of the lab, I have traveled to Redmond and worked with Microsoft engineers on applications of Azure technology, like advanced analytics and machine learning. Microsoft also provided input on our hardware design, which led us to develop a new version of hardware that’s just coming out. It has a few installs and everything is working great. In all, it’s been outstanding to partner with Microsoft. I actually just participated in a webinar where I go into more detail about my experience with the IoT & AI Insider Lab, and that will be out on our website – datahoist.com – in a few weeks.
What do you like most about our coworking community?
Duoworks is a great space. Linda, Jessica and their teams are awesome to work with. I’ve worked with Linda for years and hope to continue far in the future.
If we see you in the kitchen, what should we chat with you about?
Kids, the joys and trials of entrepreneurship, and sports.
What are you currently watching or reading?
About the only thing I watch besides sports and sci-fi is Midsomer Murders and Doctor Blake.
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