The season 2 finale of AI Unveiled features our guest host Lak Ananth, Global Managing Partner at Next47, and Igor Marinelli, Co-Founder and CEO of Next47-backed Tractian. They chat about how Tractian is leveraging AI to transform industrial maintenance, the nuances of a co-founder relationship, and how founders must evolve as their companies scale.
Igor shares his unconventional entrepreneurial journey—from cold emailing factories at 13 to building Tractian, a leading maintenance intelligence platform. He dives into how AI enables predictive maintenance, using machine learning and signal processing to detect equipment failures before they happen.
The discussion covers the challenges of bringing AI into legacy industries, where downtime can mean millions in lost revenue. And how Tractian’s technology turns raw machine data into actionable insights, helping manufacturers optimize uptime, reduce costs, and improve reliability.
Their discussion then veers into the challenges facing founders today. From how to identify a scalable problem, being customer-first, why the co-founder relationship is similar to a marriage, and how to create a company of speed and accountability.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Timestamps
* 01:07 – Why building a company around a pain point close to your heart yields success
* 15:57 – Using AI to predict, and fix industrial maintenance issues
* 25:40 – How to build a co-founder relationship that lasts
* 29:02 – Strategies for managing managers in your growth-stage company
* 32:44 – Do co-founders need to be friends?
* 38:57 – Your customer support is your product
Highlighted Excerpts
IGOR: “Our customers were first-principles thinkers. They were forcing us into delivering an obvious value proposition and forcing us out of the buzzword. Even though we could use AI, GenAI, whatever—we had to solve their problem first.”
IGOR: “There’s no way to hide the fact that a company is hierarchical. Somebody has to make a decision, and once I decide, everyone needs to be on board. We can debate, but once it’s done, we commit and move forward.”
IGOR: “We didn’t start with complementary mindsets. We started as almost the same person. I couldn’t imagine founding a company with someone who wasn’t 90% aligned with me. That kind of alignment is what makes it work.”
IGOR: “I do not tolerate managers who can’t identify problems or act once I identify them. If I have to point it out, it’s already too late for them. You either solve problems on your own, or you execute when told—that’s how we move fast.”
