Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs with Data-Driven Decision Making

Digital transformation has become a crucial component for businesses striving to stay competitive and relevant in today's rapidly evolving landscape. As technology continues to shape industries and redefine business models, companies must adapt and leverage digital tools and strategies to unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. In this interview series, we aim to explore various aspects of digital transformation, including best practices, challenges, success stories, and expert insights. We are talking to thought leaders, industry experts, entrepreneurs, technology innovators, and executives who have firsthand experience in driving digital transformation initiatives within their organizations. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Hardik Parekh.

A bold leader, an innovative thinker and a goal oriented entrepreneur, Hardik Parekh, is the Founder & CEO of Searce, an engineering-led modern tech consultancy that empowers clients to futurify by delivering real business outcomes. He holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree from Texas A&M University with a specialization in Industrial Engineering.

Hardik began his professional career as a management consultant, lending business process improvement for various established enterprises. He founded Searce in 2004 and has never looked back. He believes in the power of people's passion, processes & technology (in that order) to solve for better.

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Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to "get to know you" a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your 'backstory' and how you got started?

Thank you for having me here. I was blessed to have parents who nurtured a desire to discover 'how things work'. As a child, I would open up all the toys to understand how the underlying mechanism worked, and then get some friendly help from my father as I re-assembled those. :)

This probably nurtured my passion to discover how things work from different dimensions and to solve differently to identify better ways of doing things. After a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering & Operations Research, I was offered a role by a tech consulting firm which gave me the experience of living in Mumbai and meeting various kinds of businesses. After that I pursued a Masters degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Texas A&M University. This provided an opportunity to learn the various ways we can analyze processes to improve efficiency. I was soon offered a role by a boutique management consulting firm in Seattle to be a part of their business transformation consulting team.

Over a few years of working with several businesses, I realized that the most valued strategy and consulting firms produced an 80 page PDF for $6 million, that in practice doesn't always translate into the most optimal business outcomes for customers.The execution either gets terribly delayed, fails or delivers sub-par outcomes. More importantly, by the time the plans are executed, the business has changed and technology has evolved so significantly that the initial solution is no longer relevant for the future. On top of this, given technology has evolved, there are newer possibilities that could achieve much better outcomes in 20% of the cost and time.

Searce began with a dream of building a super specialized engineering-led, modern tech consultancy that operates very close to the execution layer, partnering with businesses not just to 'redefine the what' documented in the infamous 80-page PDF. It was to partner with the business unit leaders to diagnose the current situation and then work together to re-engineer processes and build for the future.

We founded Searce with a team of three,operating from a one bedroom apartment, with zero sellers and no funding. Searce started challenging the status quo and iteratively helped the clients we worked with to identify smarter, faster, and better ways of doing things, producing real, tangible business outcomes.

To this day, we go above and beyond in helping our customers exceed their expectations. We continue to gain referrals from most customers we work with, resulting in an organic engine that continues to grow and deliver exceptional value — with no external funding for the past twenty years, and phenomenal learning and growth for our amazing people. We continue to 'evlos' (the way of working at Searce which essentially means: 'solve differently') and deliver significantly better business outcomes for our customers.

The funniest mistake you made when you were first starting and what lessons or 'takeaways' you learnt from that?

We are in the business of delivering intelligent, impactful, futuristic business outcomes for our customers. The core thing we need to futurify businesses and produce real outcomes is the mindset of excellence in people we hire.

Excellence mindset = Exceptional outcomes.

There was a period in the 500 to 1000 people journey when we lifted the attention off the hiring pedal by hiring professionals from larger firms (people with the most experience and high relevance) to do the job, assuming that they have already done this before. That never works.

This is because we are different, our culture and way of working is different. And most importantly, many professionals don't know how to 'do stuff'. They know how to talk about doing stuff and advise or manage people to execute, but they haven't done it themselves for a while and have gotten used to managing by dashboards and reports and slide decks. When they need to produce real outcomes, all we get is complaints on why they need 'x people', 'y processes', or 'z tools' before they can produce any results.

The leadership team who thought that bringing in a cookie-cutter professional to save their time are now busy trying to continue to produce results. By the time the professionals learn how to deliver real outcomes beyond the slides and sheets, they have either run out of runway or patience.

Our culture needed people who would lead from the front, roll-up their sleeves alongside their teams, learn jointly, then scale.

The takeaway was to define our values very clearly and institutionalize talent so that we focus on measuring what matters. We had to dig deep to define the blueprint of the ideal set of characteristics we value in a Searcian. We studied who was hired, promoted and let go at Searce over 6–8 years. We discovered that we really value solvers who are HAPPIER from within: Humble, Adaptable, Positive, Passionate, Innovative, Excellence minded & Responsible.

We entrenched a process of assessing people, at the time of joining as well as during yearly appraisals, based on culture first, a solver mindset second, skill sets required third, and the relevance fourth. With the HAPPIER framework, do we still make mistakes? Of course we do. But very few, and we are able to realize what mistake we made and coach people on what to improve and fix it much earlier than we used to in the past.

Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?

I am super grateful to my dad. He inspired positivity, directness and openness from an early age through ways in which he did things. He had the unique ability to remain positive at all times and truly believe that things will be fine. At the age of 100, he would recover from the common cold faster than the rest of us in the family because he truly believed that he would be alright tomorrow. And he would be.

There were many situations during my journey at Searce where, had I not learned from him on how to remain joyful even while doing the smallest of tasks and keeping a positive mindset with the belief that 'this too shall pass', I would have given up in the first 5 years. Every 5–8 years in the life of a business, there comes at least one major setback and we have been able to solve that while having fun while in the process of solving for that. Remaining joyful, acknowledging mistakes openly and fearlessly, considering no task as a small one, being hands-on, and remaining persistent while doing hard work are the things I learnt from my father. I will always remain grateful to Mahasukhlal Parekh (1916–2019) who passed away peacefully at 103. The name literally means 'unlimited happiness'.

My mother, Meena Parekh, taught me never to become arrogant, stay humble, analyze situations from multiple perspectives before making a decision, be confident in backing the decision taken, and not to become complacent with success that comes along the way,. She inspires me to continue working hard persistently and consistently without giving up.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? How/why did it resonate with you so much?

I really could very strongly relate to the narratives of one book I read around 7–10 years ago. 'Hard things about hard things' by Ben Horowitz. The copy I have was personally signed by Ben Horowitz — who is the founder of the VC firm Andressen Horowitz.

This book covers entrepreneurship with an honest and raw approach that does not sugarcoat the bumpy road that entrepreneurs will face, and frankly should be prepared to face as they build their business. Running a business is messy and hard and this book addresses that head on- what is more impactful for me, is the way in which Horowitz shares personal experiences, struggles and yes, failures which we will all experience. I pride myself on being real- living by honest and open principles and saying the hard things that others don't often. This book has longevity for me because it's real, practical, focuses on storytelling to highlight lessons learned and bruises acquired, focused on leadership.

Are you working on any new, exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?

We're incredibly excited about a recent project where we are exploring the use of AI to detect cancerous cells. Currently, this is done by qualified medical teams, scanning a sample under a microscope. This process is labor-intensive and, given the labor shortage, creates a backlog of tests, delaying the start of treatment for patients with positive cancer samples. We aim to automate the determination of cell normality. So, in the first instance, we want to identify images that are entirely normal. Secondly, we want to identify normal areas within images that also contain abnormalities. Ultimately, we want to classify the abnormalities in these areas by, for example, performing similarity matching with reference to a database of known lesions.

This collaboration is a real example of the power of AI in revolutionizing healthcare and bringing hope to patients worldwide.

Digital transformation:

Digital transformation can mean many things to many people, from your perspective, how do you define digital transformation in your industry?

Digital transformation isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It isn't just about throwing new tech at old problems. The real transformation happens when companies rethink their entire approach. Digital transformation isn't about buying those fancy new tools (though they might be cool). It's about rethinking your entire workshop — how you organize your space, how your team collaborates, and most importantly, how you approach the work itself.

It's about going from silos to cross-functional teams with shared goals, rigid plans to agile approaches, and shifting your focus from features to outcomes. These bigger-picture changes are the key to driving intelligent outcomes with digital transformation.

Which companies can most benefit from a Digital Transformation?

Honestly, pretty much everyone. The business world is moving faster than ever, and companies that cling to old ways of doing things will get left behind. Whether you're a startup or a well-established corporation, there's always room to solve for better and deliver real value to your customers, prospects or internal operations.

Has integrating Digital transformation been a challenging process for some companies? What are the challenges? How do you help resolve them?

The idea of digital transformation is exciting, but implementing it isn't a walk in the park.

The biggest hurdle I see for businesses is clinging to old plans. Many companies are stuck in the "five-year plan" mode, which doesn't work in today's dynamic world. They need to embrace flexibility and be ready to adapt as they learn.

The other big challenge is a lack of clear goals. Sometimes, businesses jump into digital transformation without a clear idea of what success looks like. It's crucial to set specific, measurable goals — what exactly do you want to achieve?

And let's not forget the people side of things. Digital transformation requires breaking down silos and getting people from different departments to work together. This can be tough if everyone is used to operating in their corner.

That's where Searce comes in. We act as a trusted partner to our clients, partnering with them every step of the way. Our team of engineering-led solvers empowers businesses to futurify with our process consulting DNA, proprietary EVLOS™ business innovation framework, and deep tech AI, Cloud & Data engineering skills. We specialize in modernizing (improving, automating & transforming) the full scope of infrastructure, data, applications, processes & work.

Based on your experience and success, what are five ways a company can use digital transformation to take it to the next level? Please share a story or an example for each.

Digital transformation can take companies to a whole new level in many ways. Let's break it down and look at a few key ways in which this can happen:

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Exceptional User Experiences:

Today's customers expect a seamless, personalized experience. Take the example of our client, a leading online marketplace for renting pools and sports venues. Their keyword-based search system was clunky and frustrating for users. Searce developed a revolutionary AI-powered search engine using Google Cloud's Vertex AI. This solution went beyond keywords, analyzing both text descriptions and property images. This translated to a remarkable 250% increase in booking conversions. This use case highlights the power of AI in creating a user-centric experience that drives real business results.

Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs with Data-Driven Decision Making:

There's a lot to be said about the power of data-driven decision making across industries. One such example was when a global steel manufacturer approached us seeking to transition from reactive maintenance to a proactive approach. This shift aimed to identify potential equipment failures before they resulted in costly downtime. Searce's data experts were brought in to address the challenge. We built a central hub for all their sensor data- turning it into a real-time monitoring system. This eagle-eye helped them spot equipment hiccups before they happened, preventing costly downtime and optimizing production. This solution improved efficiency and yielded significant cost reductions in data storage and processing. This story showcases the power of data and smarts to transform a traditional industry.

Elevate Delivery Experiences with Location Intelligence:

We all know the frustration of waiting for a package, only to see the delivery driver circling your block lost. This was exactly what Kaebox was trying to change when they approached us. A prominent on-demand shipping app, they were encountering challenges in optimizing delivery routes, leading to inefficiencies and customer dissatisfaction. That's where we came in. Searce implemented Google Maps Platform's Mobility services, fundamentally transforming the delivery experience for both customers and drivers. Customers benefited from the ability to pinpoint their exact pick-up locations, eliminating confusion. Drivers received optimized routes with real-time traffic updates, ensuring faster deliveries. The results spoke for themselves. Kaebox achieved a remarkable 99.99% reliability rate and cut delivery distances by 14–18%, benefiting both customers and the environment. This demonstrates the power of location intelligence to drive operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Driving Efficiency and Innovation in Fintech:

Finder, a leading fintech platform with over 4 million monthly visitors, was looking for ways to improve their website's functionality while keeping costs in check. Their existing platform relied on basic search functionalities, which could be cumbersome for users navigating a vast array of financial products. Searce stepped in to streamline the experience. We focused on making it effortless to find the right product, all while keeping Finder's costs in check. We migrated them to Google Cloud Platform, optimizing their website infrastructure for efficiency. This resulted in a whopping 50% reduction in IT service costs — money Finder could now reinvest in exciting new features. We also streamlined and modernized their applications, leading to less downtime and maintenance headaches. By replacing outdated tools, Finder ditched the extra expenses of end-of-life support. Thus creating a winning formula for both user experience and cost savings.

Empowering Healthcare Innovation:

In the race to develop treatments for rare diseases, a US biotech firm turned to Searce, and AI for a breakthrough.

We helped them harness the power of Google Cloud's Vertex AI to revolutionize protein analysis. By creating a custom, automated workflow using containers, we achieved a 50% reduction in prediction times. This innovative use of AI showcases its potential to accelerate scientific discovery and transform the healthcare landscape.

Further questions:

In your opinion, how can companies best create a "culture of innovation" to create new competitive advantages?

To spark a culture of innovation, companies need to ditch the status quo. Encourage wild ideas, embrace agility over rigid plans, encourage mistakes, and focus on achieving real-world outcomes, not just cool features. This environment of constant questioning and continuous learning fuels the engine for new competitive advantages. At Searce, we follow the EVLOS framework to solve differently and achieve intelligent, impactful, futuristic business outcomes.

This framework breaks the mold for problem-solving and makes room for innovation. We start with first principles thinking, assemble a diverse team to brainstorm unconventional ideas, relentlessly iterate through "solve-a-thons" (the easy most obvious option does not cut it for us!), and ensure each solution delivers smarter, faster, better results with an "awesomeness check" for customer experience. It's all about innovation leading to impactful business outcomes.

Can you please give us your favorite "life lesson quote"? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

"The only thing that prepares you to run a company is running a company" quotes Ben Horowitz and he couldn't have described it any better.

As we turn 20, this quote resonates with me more than ever. You can learn a lot from books and courses, but there's no replacement for the lessons you gain from actually being out there and doing it. This reflects our culture, where we strive to foster a mindset of continuous improvement and innovation to deliver exceptional results for our customers and partners.

When I began Searce in 2004, we were a small team of passionate solvers, improvers, and futurists — restless, unsatisfied with the way things were — envisioning a more intelligent future. Looking back on our 20 years, everything has evolved: people, processes, locations… everything! Yet, one thing has remained constant: our core values. This speaks volumes about the foundation we built together. It's a testament to the fact that the core principles that guide you are just as important, if not more so, than the ever-changing external landscape.

Published in Authority Magazine