Transforming Data Management: Nikolas's Journey with Talonic

Nikolas's journey with Talonic began with the realisation that many businesses, including his own previous venture, heavily relied on spreadsheets for data management.

"Businesses everywhere, including the last one I’ve built, are running on spreadsheets. They are the symptom of poor data management and the necessary glue between countless IT systems and data sources companies use," he explains. 

Frustrated by the inefficiency of this system, where people waste countless hours copy-pasting data for subpar analytics, Nikolas saw an opportunity for transformation with the advent of commercial AI. "When AI became commercial enough, I knew that I could finally solve that."

This epiphany led Nikolas to make significant changes in his life.

"I left my last business to the family to run, moved cities, and fully focused on solving that big problem." This dedication marks the inception of Talonic, a company aimed at revolutionising data management and analytics.

Targeting the Right Users

Talonic primarily targets non-technical users who use data and spreadsheets to keep their businesses running.

"We aim at SMEs who know they suffer from poor data management and want AI to help them transform," Nikolas elaborates. Talonic’s approach to reaching these users is multifaceted. "Our website informs about that, but we also reach out to our ICPs directly and go to lots of conferences to learn about the needs."

Their growing visibility at these events, where they regularly speak, underscores their commitment to understanding and addressing the needs of their target market.

Overcoming Challenges

The journey to building Talonic has been challenging.

"Tech and UX discovery are the biggest challenges," Nikolas admits. Creating something novel means there is no existing playbook to follow. "Everything is our discovery, from how people interact with LLMs to get their data and insights to how we build a system capable of satisfying that."

Despite the difficulties, Nikolas finds this challenge to be a testament to Talonic's uniqueness. "It’s hard, but that’s also showing us that we are building something that sticks out."

Initially, Talonic was bootstrapped, supported by a generous scholarship from the local government and university.

"At first, we only wanted to validate and would not waste investors' money on that," Nikolas says. However, as Talonic's potential became clear, they felt more comfortable seeking investment. "Now, we feel comfortable raising investment."

Future Goals

Nikolas has clear short-term and long-term goals for Talonic.

"Short-term, we raise €1M to scale our capacities in building products and aim to standardise the sales and onboarding process enough so we can handle more customers."

This funding will allow Talonic to enhance its infrastructure and streamline processes to accommodate a growing customer base.

In the long term, Nikolas envisions Talonic as the most convenient AI platform for managing all data and analytics workflows.

"For both, talking to and continuously learning from customers is key to us," he emphasises. By staying attuned to customer needs and continually improving its platform, Nikolas believes Talonic can achieve its ambitious goals.

Nikolas's journey with Talonic is a testament to his dedication to solving a pervasive problem in data management. By leveraging AI and focusing on user needs, Talonic is poised to transform how businesses handle their data and analytics, making the process more efficient and effective for everyone involved.