by James A. Bacon
We’ve all been hearing more and more about “Big Data,” which arises from the ability of computers to collect and process unimaginably huge gobs of data and sophisticated mathematical equations to detect patterns and anomalies that can be used to drive business decision-making. Capital One used Big Data before it had a name to revolutionize the credit card business, and it’s one of the biggest, most profitable companies in Virginia. Now comes Arlington-based Applied Predictive Technologies, which just sold out to MasterCard for $600 million.
That’s a remarkable valuation for a 16-year-old company of 300 employees and revenues approaching $100 million. Humongous pay-offs like that are routine for Silicon Valley but they’re rare in Virginia.
“We will stay Ballston-based, but we will be growing faster,” APT chief executive Anthony Bruce told the Washington Post in an email. “Our opportunity to grow and expand will be accelerated by this partnership, in Arlington and elsewhere.”
Here’s how the company describes its product: “APT’s Test & Learn software is revolutionizing the way leading companies harness their Big Data to accurately measure the profit impact of pricing, marketing, merchandising, operations, and capital initiatives, tailoring investments in these areas to maximize ROI.”
An illustration can be seen in the graphic above. Drawing from data on retail and restaurant sales at more than 100,000 locations nationwide, APT charted the impact of the 2015 NCAA Final Four basketball tournament on restaurant sales in Indianapolis. The APT Index also integrates weather and demographic data to allow retail executives to ask an even broader range of questions. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how MasterCard could use its relationship with retailers globally to sell this as a value-added product.
Read “Data Crush” by Chris Surdak to get a feel for how Big Data will transform industry after industry in ways we mortals can barely comprehend. Big Data will blaze a path of creative destruction easily equal to that of the Internet.
Bacon’s bottom line: Momma, don’t let your babies grow up to be lawyers. Engineers and computer programmers will make a decent living in the economy of the early-mid 21st century, but if you want your kid to have a shot at becoming the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, tell them to major in any branch of mathematics that lends itself to Big Data analytics.
If you want an argument in favor of STEM education (the “m” stands for mathematics), this is it. The Big Data revolution may have started in the United States, but the industry will move to wherever there are pools of mathematically gifted employees. We neglect mathematical instruction at our peril. (So says the guy who couldn’t tell you the difference between sines, cosines and tangents, much less between integral and differential calculus, much less actually compute anything requiring a retention of anything beyond 8th-grade algebra. I’m a dinosaur but at least I know it.)
