Welcome Emilie Schario

I tried to write a thoughtful introduction for this blog post, but I’m too excited to write eloquent prose, so I’ll blurt it out.

EMILIE SCHARIO IS JOINING AMPLIFY AS A DATA STRATEGIST-IN-RESIDENCE!

If you’re involved in the analytics engineering or data engineering communities, you probably already know Emilie. You’ve probably read her guidance on how to prepare your data team to support operational workflows. You may have heard her advice on how data teams can develop products instead of delivering services at last week’s Modern Data Stack Conference. Or she’s answered your questions about migrating from a data lake to a data warehouse on the Locally Optimistic Slack channel.

If you don’t know Emilie, you will soon – because she will change the way that companies (and data teams) operate.

But let’s fill you in: Emilie is joining Amplify from Netlify, where she led their Data and BI team and transformed their business by “fusing data into regular workflows.” Netlify was not her first rodeo – she’s been the first data analyst at GitLab, Doist, and SmileDirectClub, where she has enabled data functions to scale and measurably impact strategic business objectives. She’s also strongly influenced how data and analytics engineers see and execute their roles as a moderator for Locally Optimistic, an adviser/consultant to several startups, and an active blogger.

My first conversation with Emilie cemented my excitement in funding startups that help data teams transform organizational cultures and develop outstanding products. She had such clear and unique insights into the challenges that data teams face, the limitations of the “modern data stack,” and how data tools and platforms can and should change. What’s more, she could translate these shrewd strategies for data teams operating in different markets into actionable tactics. After ending our call, I sent my colleague Lenny a text to share that I had just met the “Peter Drucker of Data.” Upon meeting her, he agreed that we had to find a way to get Emilie involved with Amplify.

Our subsequent conversations with Emilie influenced our investment hypotheses and inspired us to more intentionally study how startups within our portfolio use data to make strategic decisions. It became increasingly clear that although new vendors enable data teams to do increasingly sophisticated modeling and analysis, there’s still a gap between what decision-makers need and what data teams deliver. We realized that the companies most likely to find product-market fit and win in competitive markets are those that use data most effectively. We saw a clear opportunity for Emilie to help us identify opportunities for data teams to make the deepest possible impact by observing and participating in the strategic conversations that companies have with their board members and as they define their product and GTM roadmaps.

In her new role, Emilie will have a 360-degree view of the data ecosystem. She will work with leadership at Amplify portfolio companies to create highly effective data and growth teams. She’ll also work with startups building new tools for data practitioners to help them define and deliver features that make data teams more productive and impactful. Lastly, she’ll continue to serve the data community by applying her unique perspective to put forth systems and frameworks that help startups and other companies establish data-driven cultures.

At Amplify, we believe that data can change the trajectory of companies big and small. But believing isn’t enough – we need people to help bring about those changes. We’re so excited for Emilie to help data teams reach their full potential.