As CEO and founder of AnswerRocket, Alon leads product innovation to bring actionable analytics to business people, so they can get their questions answered faster. Prior to founding AnswerRocket, Alon co-founded and was Chief Technology Officer of Radiant Systems for 25 years. He served as Radiant’s Chairman from 2004 to 2011, when the company was sold to NCR for $1.3 billion. Alon has a B.S. in Computer Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Company: AnswerRocket
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Alon Goren: I founded AnswerRocket a decade ago with a clear mission: to empower organizations to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Before AnswerRocket, as a founder and CTO, it was frustrating to see our executive team making critical decisions without the benefit of having the best insights, because they were buried deep in our enterprise data. I saw an opportunity to automate this process and wanted to create a software where businesses could simply ask questions in plain language and get immediate, meaningful answers—no need for complex queries or technical expertise. What began as a solution to a specific problem has evolved into a comprehensive platform capable of handling vast and diverse datasets. Since then, we’ve significantly expanded our capabilities, particularly with the rise of LLMs. We’ve transitioned from creating custom solutions for a select few enterprises to offering Max, our composable AI assistant, which answers questions and interprets data insights for our clients. With the latest advancements in generative AI, we’ve made it even easier to incorporate diverse data sources, including unstructured data like presentations, images, social media posts, and audio recordings into business decision-making. At the core of our business, we make sure that every piece of data contributes to smarter decisions for our clients.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Alon Goren: I’d ask, “Do you think your employees would be more successful if they had a personal data analyst available to them around the clock?” Because that’s what we provide. Our AI assistant, Max, doesn’t just give you answers. It delivers a comprehensive understanding of the underlying data specific to your platform and company. By combining the power of generative AI with advanced analytics, Max can uncover hidden patterns, predict trends, and recommend the best courses of action – in real time. We’re not just building a tool; we’re creating a strategic partner so that you don’t have to be an IT guy or a data expert to understand and get a competitive advantage.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, is an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Alon Goren: In my experience, the key to keeping employees engaged and motivated is fostering a culture of open, two-way communication. We align our team around a shared mission and enable every individual to enact change and drive company goals forward.
Our organizational structure is also intentionally lean, allowing good ideas to flow from every level. This ensures that every team member has a voice in important decisions, reinforcing their sense of purpose and belonging. By prioritizing a culture that values innovation, inclusivity, and empowerment, we’re better equipped to retain top talent and keep our team fully engaged and motivated.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Alon Goren: The digital transformation is accelerating, permanently altering how businesses operate. Businesses and consumers have higher expectations for doing business at their convenience. This really helps set the stage for AI to become even more deeply embedded in our lives. The demand for real-time, on-demand solutions and services is here to stay, and businesses must adapt or risk being left behind.
At AnswerRocket, we’re leading this charge with customizable AI assistants that give users access to the analytics and insights they need–anywhere, anytime. AI analytics eliminates the constraints of traditional business hours but also reduces data analysis time from days or weeks to minutes. This approach has already led to a 40% increase in efficiency for our clients’ insights teams, significantly boosting their productivity.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Alon Goren: The world is getting a crash course in AI and generative AI ever since ChatGPT came on the scene. Now, businesses recognize the power and potential of these technologies, but the challenge is how to actually harness them to achieve your business goals and unlock growth. By now, most companies have dabbled with it, but few have moved the needle on their business outcomes. With the unprecedented speed of technological advancements we’re seeing with AI models, it can feel like a full-time job just to keep up with the latest and greatest capabilities, let alone make use of them. And that’s what a lot of companies are coming to us for right now: to help them sort out the AI puzzle, map out how it fits into their organization, what use cases to tackle first, and how to create and roll out a solution that actually delivers business value.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Alon Goren: One of the most underestimated aspects of running a successful company is ensuring that every team member has a clear understanding of how their work contributes to the broader company goals. This requires a crystal-clear vision that is not only well-defined but also consistently communicated across the organization. As a company grows or undergoes change, maintaining this clarity becomes even more critical. One way is through monthly CEO “fireside” chats with each team. These open-ended conversations can become a powerful tool to directly engage with employees, reinforce our vision, and address any uncertainties.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Alon Goren: If I could choose any business superpower, it would be the ability to see the future—specifically, to know exactly when a technology is ready to deliver real value rather than just being a shiny new toy. In the business world, there’s always a buzz around the latest and greatest innovations, but the challenge lies in distinguishing between what’s genuinely transformative and what’s merely a passing fad.
What does “success” in 2024 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision
Alon Goren: Success in 2024, for me, is hitting more backhand winners than unforced errors in tennis. What I mean is that it’s about making well-executed strategic moves that drive us forward, while minimizing avoidable mistakes. For AnswerRocket, this translates to helping our customers crack the code on how to effectively apply AI to their business, without wasting time, energy, and resources. It’s about enabling them to turn their complex data into actionable insights that fuel better business outcomes–over and over again. If we can help our customers achieve real, tangible results with AI, then we’ve truly succeeded.
