Technology

Thor Kallestad, CEO and Founder of Datacloud

Published

10 months ago

October 19, 2019

Jobilyn Jong Jong

Table of Contents

Please state your name and a little about your current status and what exactly does your company do?

I am Thor Kallestad, CEO and Founder of Datacloud. DataCloud delivers a connected orebody knowledge platform to the mining industry for optimizing operations according to their geology. Our innovative platform measures production drilling data analyze all sources of geo-data from the entire value chain and provides a team with a single source of truth to their geology. It was built by world-class experts in exploration & production subsurface evaluation, seismic-while-drilling techniques, drill and blast operations, gestatistics, cloud architecture, and machine learning.

Our insatiable curiosity for geology and uncovering more efficient ways to mine inspires us to explore ways to leverage advanced technologies to help clients truly know the rock so they can extract the most, in the most precise way. We hail from seven countries and have extensive knowledge of mining operations worldwide. But we’re always learning and investigating new opportunities to revolutionize the industry.

How did you start your company/business as a startup?

When we learned nobody was providing a holistic view of a mine site’s orebody, and furthermore, not in real-time or at a high-resolution. We decided we were well poised to make a run at it. The timing was perfect: new technologies from Silicon Valley were emerging at a cost and pace that the mining industry would tolerate.

What struggle did you go through to reach your current status now?

The long sales cycles for innovation vendors is a big obstacle to introducing new technology into mining.

How did you manage to cope up with those struggles?

Fortunately, we have been able to overcome this challenge as we are backed by great investors that believe in our product, understand what it takes to introduce new technology into mining operations, and are truly dedicated to bringing about radical productivity growth in mining.

What piece of advice will you share with those who would like to follow your footsteps?

Rob Crotty, my first boss when I graduated from undergrad, and he remains a great friend to this day. He taught me the value of reading and writing, and to appreciate the Grateful Dead. With Rob, I saw first hand that with dedication and desire, you can have a great family and career, and you can have a ton of fun in life and do a lot of great things along the way. In the spirit of appreciating books, to quote Emerson, Rob taught me to “make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”