Silicon Valley Data Science

Silicon Valley Data Science (SVDS) was established in 2013 by a team of four individuals: data analytics experts Sanjay Mathur and John Akred, alongside investors Jim McLean and Jim Sims. The founders identified a market opportunity stemming from the proliferation of social media and cloud computing, which left large corporations struggling to manage the explosion of big data. The company was founded not just on location, but on an approach to data science pioneered by the agile and innovative teams at major Silicon Valley companies. John Akred, who served as CTO, brought over 15 years of experience in machine learning, predictive modeling, and analytical system architecture. CEO Sanjay Mathur's career was built on driving business forward with emerging technology, with a background in product development, R&D, and management consulting.

SVDS operated as a provider of data-driven product development and experimentation services, positioning itself to help businesses transform through data science and engineering. The firm's business model centered on providing big data consulting services to large corporations. They offered a range of solutions aimed at solving critical business problems such as increasing customer retention, minimizing system failures, decreasing fraud, and developing new revenue-generating data products. Their services included digital product analytics, customer knowledge platforms, predictive analytics, text analytics, and technology architecture benchmarking. The company's methodology was based on an agile and iterative approach to creating value from data, helping clients to use their data as a strategic asset.

A significant milestone in the company's journey was its acquisition by Apple Inc. in December 2017. Rather than a traditional acquisition of the entire company, Apple hired the core technical team of about 18 people to bolster its own product development ambitions. This included co-founders Sanjay Mathur, who took on a strategy and analytics leadership role at Apple, and John Akred, who joined Apple's algorithms team. The move was seen as a successful exit for the investors and provided new opportunities for the employees within one of the world's largest technology companies.

Keywords: data science consulting, big data analytics, predictive modeling, machine learning services, data-driven product development, business transformation, data engineering, customer analytics, text analytics, agile data science, data strategy, technology architecture, data solutions, corporate data consulting, customer retention analysis, fraud detection services, revenue generation data, digital product analytics, data science for enterprise, Apple acquisition