About Sammy
Sam Semwangu brings a wealth of experience to his role as CEO and founder of Bazze. As a two-time founder, and former defense contractor, Sami has deep expertise in both the technical and operational aspects of the defense and intelligence sectors. His background has given him unique insights into the growing importance of commercial data in national security operations, and it led him to a critical opportunity to revolutionize how intelligence analysis is conducted.
Sammy is not shy about sharing his scar tissue - and the mistakes he made the first time around. That candor is what makes him a great guest - and great leader!
About Bazze
Founded in 2019, Bazze is an intelligence platform designed to transform how the defense and intelligence community accesses and utilizes commercial data. The company's platform enables users to know everything about a person, place, or thing using exclusively commercial data sources. Users of Bazze technology can quickly identify potential security risks and gather comprehensive intelligence using publicly available information.
Bazze is an interesting case study in that the team has successfully navigated multiple "valleys of death,” surviving SBIR valleys and OTA hurdles. They’ve gone on to secure contracts with the U.S. government, allied nations, and commercial entities.
Today, their approach is best described as "Bazze Inside," a partnership path to market, which allows Bazze to power other vendors and apps with their unique data pipelines. In this way, Sammy has kept his team small and expenses low while positioning Bazze at the forefront of a major shift in intelligence capabilities, as commercial data becomes increasingly important for national security operations.
Key Takeaways
Here are a few of our favorite insights from Sammy’s time building Bazze:
Commercial intelligence is reaching parity with government capabilities. Within the next 3-5 years, commercial intelligence capabilities will match or exceed most government intelligence capabilities, driven by the explosion of available data from smartphones, cameras, and satellites. This shift is fundamentally changing how intelligence operations are conducted.
Diversification of customer relationships is crucial for survival. After losing key champions within their initial customer organization, Bazze learned the importance of building a wider customer pipeline. Success in the defense sector requires maintaining multiple relationships and avoiding single points of failure.
Partnership strategy must be intentional and aligned. Bazze's success has been partly due to their keen approach to partnerships, focusing on complementary capabilities rather than competitive offerings. They look for partners who can provide value in areas where they have gaps, such as maintaining consistent customer presence in classified spaces.
Customer intimacy remains the biggest challenge. Despite the challenges of working with customers in secure facilities, maintaining close customer relationships is essential.
Team building should prioritize independence and expertise. Bazze focuses on hiring "fire-and-forget missiles" - team members who can work independently with minimal oversight while maintaining high standards. This is particularly crucial in a remote work environment.
Data privacy and ethical considerations must be built into the foundation. Rather than collecting massive amounts of data, Bazze emphasizes targeted queries and data minimization, ensuring their platform aligns with both legal requirements and ethical considerations.
For more on Bazze, or if you’re interested in checking out their products, head over to bazze.io
For more on Sammy, you can follow him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semwangu/
Ep 23: Supplying Commercial Data for Defense Missions