Vanja Josifovski, Co-Founder and CEO of Kumo.AI, previously served as CTO at Airbnb and Pinterest. He dives into how data is reshaping innovation, emphasizing the importance of being a 'data-forward organization.' Dr. Vanja reveals the power of relational foundation models in predictive AI, simplifying traditional processes. He discusses the criticality of integration speed as a competitive advantage and encourages leaders to embrace new technologies that offer significant enhancements, urging a shift away from outdated systems.
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insights INSIGHT
Data As The Core Enterprise Asset
Data must sit at the center of an organization and drive how it operates and serves customers.
Treat data as the core enterprise asset that defines strategy and processes.
insights INSIGHT
From Analytics To Automated Decisions
AI will shift enterprises from backward-looking analytics to forward-oriented automated decisions.
Predictions will increasingly plug directly into systems to act at both macro and micro levels.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Enable Instant Predictions For Faster Decisions
Enable instant, broad predictions so analysts no longer need months of bespoke feature engineering.
Ask any question of your enterprise data and get immediate predictive answers to speed decision-making.
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Hear how data is rewriting the rules—and driving the future of innovation. Dr. Vanja breaks down his approach to enterprise AI, and the key strategies for success. He shares what it means to be a “data-forward organization” and why data must sit at the heart of how a company operates. Discover why integration speed is the new competitive edge
Key Moments:
Data as a Core Enterprise Asset (6:04):Dr. Vanja defines what it means to be a “data-forward organization,” emphasizing that data shouldn’t be an afterthought—it must sit at the heart of how a company operates, makes decisions, and serves customers.
Relational Foundation Models for Predictive AI (16:26): Dr. Vanja explains how Kumo uses transformer architectures on raw relational data to eliminate 95% of traditional ML tasks like feature engineering—bringing pre-trained, multi-purpose prediction models into the structured data world.
Integration Speed as a Competitive Edge (27:03):It's no longer just about who builds the fastest—but who integrates the fastest. Dr. Vanja shares how companies that can quickly adopt and scale best-in-class third-party tools will define the next generation of winners.
The Case for Rebuilding at 10x Advantage (29:02):Dr.Vanja urges leaders to rethink old systems if a new approach offers a 10x cost or performance improvement. Sticking with outdated architectures out of fear or inertia risks falling behind during pivotal transitions.
Key Quotes:
“The key asset is the data that you have… You need to build the whole enterprise around this data. It’s not an afterthought — it’s at the center of the organization and how it functions.” - Dr. Vanja
“Companies that integrate the fastest — not just build the fastest — will win.” - Dr. Vanja
“If you really value your data, you need to stay in the cloud… If the cost is your only driver, then do what you want — but you’ll miss out on the majority of new technologies.” - Dr. Vanja
Dr. Vanja Josifovski is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kumo. Prior to Kumo, Vanja was the CTO at Airbnb & Pinterest. Here, Vanja led an organization that included horizontal groups such as Homes Engineering and Homes Data Science, as well as GM groups such as Marketplace, Relevance and Personalization, and Regulatory Frameworks.
Before Airbnb, Vanja was the CTO & VP Eng at Pinterest, responsible for the overall technical vision and strategy of the company and communicating that to leadership and the teams; hiring and development of technical talent. As the head of Engineering, he managed some core engineering teams. Vanja has also served as an advisor and investor for multiple startups and was the founder for Kosei, which was acquired by Pinterest.
The Data Chief