Decentralizing Data Access at Align Technologies with CDO Sreelakshmi Kolli

On the fourth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sreelakshmi Kolli, CDO of Align Technologies. Align Technologies’ most popular product, Invisalign is the product of 3D printing, a breakthrough technology that is completely upending manufacturing processes. In fact, Align Technologies is one of the biggest 3D printers in the world. In this episode, Sreelakshmi breaks down Align’s decentralized approach to data access and how it’s improved innovative capacity, the link between culture and technology evolution, and the factors that define Align’s successful partnerships with startups.

Quick hits from Sree:

On Align’s goals for data access within the organization: “Our goal is to make data so pervasive inside Align, so that it's not just for a data scientist or a small technology team to unlock the potential of it. It's been a cultural transformation as much as it's been a technology transformation.”

On using AI to transform medical processes: “The selfie app that we use, we call it the smile view. That's an AI model that takes your selfie [in] real time and shows you what your smile could look like. That's a very individualized experience. We are using it in our treatment planning, you know, we understand what the doctor's treatment preferences are, how they would like to treat the patient. And so we are codifying that using AI to generate treatment plans that the doctors can then modify in real time.”

On how Align benefits from startup philosophies: “For us, technology’s like the central nervous system of the company. And so, as a technology team, we stay on top of current technology trends and actively engage with the startup community…Experimentation is very much part of our culture, when we fail an experiment, we treat it more like learning experiences so that we can continuously iterate on the idea or, you know, we just decide to abandon it. The entrepreneurial culture is very much alive at Align.”

Recent book recommendation: Ask Your Developer by Jeff Lawson

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Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/ 

Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser, Josh Meer and Emily Shaw.