Getting your data right is the vital first step in every successful AI strategy, says Daniel Ellis, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, .
Here, he discusses how to approach the multifaceted AI opportunity and reveals his plan for Lumilinks to become a market sector front runner.
Ellis confidently predicts that Lumilinks will soon become a category leader in AI-ready data products and fully managed services, and there has never been any question about how he will achieve this goal. “Our route to get there is clear,” he stated. “Build scalable applications, maintain our pace of innovation and keep delivering customer value that compounds over time. We’ve already shown how automating next best actions across supply chains can deliver a tenfold acceleration in performance – and that’s just the beginning.”
Lumilinks is headquartered in London but was founded in 2018 in Cambridge – the birthplace of mathematical and scientific discovery – with a vision to solve complex, real-world industry problems using data and science. “From the outset we were clear on our purpose,” reiterated Ellis. “We weren’t here to build technology for technology’s sake – we exist to illuminate the hidden links within our customers’ data and help them turn information into action. We help organisations transform and manage their data so they can deploy AI applications with confidence.”
Ellis has spent the last 25 years helping businesses of all shapes and sizes navigate the evolving digital landscape – from the early days of self-service technology to today’s AI revolution. “My experience has taught me how to spot market opportunities, build products that matter and deliver scalable value,” he added. “My role at Lumilinks brings all of that together. My focus now is on making businesses AI-relevant by building solutions that unlock real, measurable growth.”
We’ve shown how automating next best actions across supply chains can deliver a tenfold acceleration in performance – and that’s just the beginning
His immediate priority is to help customers simplify their data landscape – making it easier to access insights that drive better decisions. “Longer term we’re continuing to invest in scalable AI products, underpinned by trusted data strategies,” added Ellis. “This means further developing our self-service suite, expanding integrations and investing in go-to-market partnerships that accelerate adoption.”
Lumilinks has grown consistently since day one, and 2024 was no exception with the company achieving 70 per cent year-on-year growth. “We’re on track to sustain that momentum into 2025, driven by demand for scalable AI solutions and our focus on customer outcomes,” added Ellis. “We’re now a team of 50 and proud to serve a growing customer base across the UK and the US, with 60 per cent of revenue coming from the UK and 40 per cent from North America. Our projections for 2025 remain ambitious but grounded, building on solid foundations and repeatable value delivery. We want to be known as the partner who delivers real-world impact – not just pilots, but products that scale.”
Lumilinks primarily supports two core markets – businesses with 200 to 1,000 employees that are growing fast and need agility; and larger multi-site enterprises (5,000-plus employees) facing the challenges of scale and integration. The common factor that spans both focus areas is that Lumilinks simplifies complex systems and infrastructure.
Growing demand
“We’re seeing increasing demand from multi-site organisations dealing with M&A, expansion or legacy infrastructure – and the common thread is always the need for a single source of truth,” noted Ellis. “Data accessibility, quality and reliability come before AI can deliver value – and that’s our sweet spot. There’s no successful AI strategy without a solid data plan.”
While AI is transforming the way businesses think and operate, Ellis believes that human-centric design still matters most – along with meeting demand for simplicity, visibility and speed. “These factors are shaping how we build, sell and support our products and applications, keeping organisations in control of their own assets while unlocking the power of AI,” explained Ellis.
“Our biggest opportunity lies in continuing to build smart, self-serve solutions that transform how people work. The winners in this next chapter of digital transformation will be those who simplify complexity and put insight in the hands of the people who need it most.”
Data accessibility, quality and reliability come before AI can deliver value – and that’s our sweet spot. There’s no successful AI strategy without a solid data plan
Lumilinks is already a clear winner: The company attained global recognition at the Snowflake 2025 Summit in San Francisco for its AI product suite, a win that Ellis chalked up as a major milestone. “Particularly as we were selected from over 1,000 businesses across 100 countries,” he added. “This signals just how relevant our work is right now. We’re seeing real traction in AI applications that solve specific problems like rapid entity resolution and delivering a single customer view in minutes – and that’s just the start.
“Future growth will come from productising these solutions for broader industry adoption. Underlying all this is our focus on the basics and making data accessible, interoperable and actionable. AI can only deliver value once those foundations are in place.”