DRW VC Portfolio Company Spotlight: Maury Blackman, Premise

Maury Blackman is the President & CEO at Premise, a data and analytics platform that empowers decision makers with real-time, actionable intelligence. Keep reading to learn more about Maury Blackman, Premise, and the global need to adopt Premise's data platforms.

When did you know you wanted to get involved in the tech industry?

As a kid, I was fascinated with SciFi - Star Trek, Stars Wars, etc. And, as a result, I was enamored with tech. Even today, I’m one of those “iCrazy” people who will buy every new Apple product. I build my own drones and have automated my home to the max. As my career has progressed, I have realized that my passion translates into an obsession with utilizing technology to make better decisions.

What was it about Premise that piqued your interest and led to your current role?

When I was introduced to Premise, I was captivated by how the tech had the potential to truly affect big decisions for organizations in virtually every sector, from CPG and finance to international development. The idea started with a global network of data contributors recruited via social media who were paid to collect data for customers. In essence, the company aims to provide data for every decision that a leader requires in order to gain a decision advantage, rather than flying blind.

Couple this with the $40bn TAM for the market segment (market research), and the fact that the space is dominated by legacy solutions, this is an exciting opportunity to build something transformative that will not only disrupt but will also accrete an outsized return.

How is Premise transforming the ways we use data?

Premise owns the broadest and most sophisticated tech platform that blends machine learning with human intelligence, making it possible to gather and analyze real-time data from a curated and trusted global network. We provide visibility, attribution and on-the-ground insights in key markets, in a matter of days.

This human-centric information could be a photo, answers to a survey, location discovery data or any additional information our customers need. That data is then run through our platform where AI-enabled tools provide insights that are crucial for decision making. Further, Premise enables hypothesis testing and granular discoveries for organizations in ways that were not previously possible. This all happens in real time. What makes this groundbreaking is the volume of information we can collect, the level of detail we can gather and the speed at which we can make it actionable.

Are there any recent industry developments that are affecting Premise?

COVID-19 shut down the world’s ability to gain access to data beyond borders, yet Premise networks “stayed on” and continued to collect data for customers regardless of geography. The pandemic forced the world to look at different ways to get business done. Premise offered new solutions the same way that Zoom, Peloton and Doordash did. Global organizations have turned to Premise to fulfill their data needs, and this is accelerating adoption of our platform.

Of all the data solutions Premise provides, are there any solutions in particular that make you excited for the future of the industry?

We’re currently taking on a $45bn TAM that is broadly underserved by legacy solutions that rely on the limitations of paper and people rather than tech. Our typical competitor takes 6-12 months to achieve what we do, which is a lifetime in today's world. Waiting 6 months could very well destroy a business! Premise’s time-to-customer value is measured in hours and days rather than months. This, combined with the fidelity of our data solutions, is the secret sauce. It’s what will enable us to capture a market-leading position.

What do you think we can expect to see from Premise in 2021?

We announced an $85M Series E raise in January and that investment is helping us to double our headcount. In turn, this will allow us to build our contributor network even stronger and with more reach. We will continue to increase operational IP and build out our proprietary data libraries. Going forward, I see Premise as the dominant, AI-powered, next-generation platform for agile market research that provides leaders with data for every decision.

Learn more about Premise.