Conversation
Highlights

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Andrew Scheuermann, CEO of Arch Systems, a machine data and analytics company that has raised $25 million in funding.

• Andrew’s Multicultural Insight: Andrew’s efforts to learn Chinese, motivated by his personal life and professional dealings in manufacturing, underline the importance of cultural understanding in global business operations.
• Cross-Disciplinary Foundations: With a background that spans science, business, and technology, Andrew embodies the interdisciplinary approach needed to innovate in today’s complex markets.
• From Academic to Entrepreneur: Andrew’s journey from conducting advanced machine research at Stanford to co-founding Arch Systems illustrates the bridge between academic research and entrepreneurial success.
• Pivotal Shifts: Arch Systems’ pivot from a modular IoT platform to a focused machine data and analytics company for discrete manufacturing showcases the agility required to find product-market fit in emerging markets.
• Strategic Partnerships: Andrew’s strategic decision to form close partnerships with major manufacturing companies, trading short-term revenue for long-term data and credibility, illustrates a deep understanding of value-driven growth.
• Manufacturing Optimization Platform: Arch Systems positions itself uniquely in the Industry 4.0 space by focusing on optimizing manufacturing through data analytics, standing apart from generic IoT platforms, consultants, and MES solutions.
• Targeted Sales Approach: Andrew’s approach to identifying digitization champions within large enterprises and navigating the IT-OT convergence is a key strategy for selling in complex B2B environments.
• Vision for Expansion: Looking ahead, Arch Systems plans to broaden its impact by integrating more core processes into its platform and advancing its technology to enable deeper manufacturing insights and optimization.