business intelligence tools: I’ve Navigated a Dozen Downturns. Here’s the Brutal Truth About Business Intelligence and Startup Funding in 2025.
I’ve Navigated a Dozen Downturns. Here’s the Brutal Truth About Business Intelligence and Startup Funding in 2025. Let me tell you a story. Back in 2012, I was advising a promising e-commerce startup. They had a fantastic product, a charismatic founder, and what they thought was explosive growth. Their pitch deck was beautiful, full of hockey-stick charts showing user sign-ups. But when a savvy seed investor asked, "What's your 90-day cohort retention for users acquired through paid social?" the room went silent. They didn't know. They couldn't know. Their "data" was a vanity mirror, reflecting only what they wanted to see. They didn't get the funding. The company folded six months later. I've seen variations of that story play out for over a decade. The tools and the buzzwords change, but the fundamental truth doesn't: businesses that don't truly understand their own data are flying blind. And in the economic climate we're heading...