Interviewed by Syed Md. Rakeen, Team MBR

With over a decade of experience in data science, Mr. Andalib Hasan has played multiple leading roles in some of the most renowned organisations in Bangladesh, namely Robi, Banglalink, Pathao, and Foodpanda. Additionally, he has helped raise USD 4 million for a popular logistics startup named Truck Lagbe, where he served as Vice President, Growth, for almost two years. His extensive experience has contributed to mastering skills in SQL and data visualisation while crafting analytics solutions to drive organisational goals and objectives. Currently, he is playing a dual role as Operations Director at Foodpanda Bangladesh as well as the Founding Partner at R-Squared. Team MBR was in conversation with Mr. Andalib Hasan to learn about data analytics solutions as well as the inspiration behind founding R-Squared.

Syed Md. Rakeen: You possess a wealth of experience from some of the most renowned technology organisations in Bangladesh, namely Robi, Banglalink, Pathao, Truck Lagbe, and Foodpanda. Would you kindly share with us how your prior experiences shaped your thinking towards forming a unique startup like R-Squared?

Andalib Hasan: Coming from a STEM background, working with data has been incredibly fulfilling for me. The journey, spanning from data analysis to crafting its relevance for fundraising and scaling startups, has been nothing short of amazing. Amidst the challenges of the 2020 pandemic, when many startups faced difficulties securing funds, my colleagues Nouroz Rahman and Araf Hasnat (both my colleagues from Pathao) and I initiated conversations with numerous startups to comprehend the situation. Two key insights emerged: investors were inclined to be cautious with their funds, and startups sought effective ways to convince investors while needing proper utilisation of data. Recognising the latter as an opportunity, we founded R-Squared to collaborate with companies eager to extract meaningful insights from their data.

Syed Md. Rakeen: R-Squared offers diverse data analytics services, ranging from creating dashboards for businesses to conducting experiments to evaluate consumer behavior. Would you please walk us through the process of devising solutions for the clients, starting from the initial communication with the clients and the relevant stakeholders?

Andalib Hasan: Our primary objective is to address the challenges faced by our partners, making it our central focus. Data and product analytics naturally emerge as by-products of this focus. In our initial client interactions, we delve into understanding their specific pain points, whether it involves establishing data infrastructure or shaping compelling narratives for investor fundraising. Once we grasp the nuances of their challenges, we propose potential solutions. Subsequently, our team of analysts is mobilised to transform these solutions into tangible realities.

Syed Md. Rakeen: Data analytics has emerged as one of the key driving forces behind the strategic decision-making of companies, where the performance metrics obtained through data analysis dictate the next course of action. Given the vital role of data analytics in tracking a company’s performance, how does R-Squared ensure the accuracy and quality of its solutions?

Andalib Hasan: We ensure this in two steps: firstly, we ensure that all the analysts we hire have profound experience and knowledge to get the work done and solve problems. Second, we always believe in continuous learning, and hence we keep ourselves updated with the latest tools and techniques that we deploy in those businesses.

Syed Md. Rakeen: The demand for diverse requirements of data analysis from companies often requires a great deal of back-and-forth communication. Would you kindly share how R-Squared manages to adjust the dynamic requirements of companies and fit those suggestions into their data analysis?

Andalib Hasan: We believe that communication is the key. We engage with our stakeholders in three stages:

1. Before we start working.
2. In between the projects, to stay updated and understand if any adjustments are needed.
3. At the end, when we try to go back and match expectations with what we have done.

This is an iterative process, but it provides us with maximum accuracy.

Syed Md. Rakeen: Currently, there are myriads of data analytics tools used by different companies for automating and expediting their existing operations. Would you kindly provide some information about the tools that R-Squared currently uses for its clients as well as the reasoning behind the selection of those tools?

Andalib Hasan: The choice depends on the nature of the problem and whether we opt for paid or freeware solutions. In the realm of analytics, our engagement with paid tools includes Tableau, CleverTap, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, and Facebook Analytics. For freeware, we frequently employ MySQL as the database and Metabase as the BI suite. However, the tool selection is adaptable, with other options coming into play based on specific business requirements.

Syed Md. Rakeen: It goes without saying that companies that seek data analytics services will expect their data to remain confidential. How does R-Squared ensure the proper safeguarding of confidential data and prevent any breach of data privacy and security?

Andalib Hasan: We sign an NDA first of all. Secondly, we also handpick our analysts so that they understand the value of data privacy and have practical knowledge about it. Thirdly, we use tools to keep client data secure.

Syed Md. Rakeen: Despite the abundance of data available from organisations, most data professionals often come across several stumbling blocks, such as poor quality of data and difficulties in data integration. What are the major challenges awaiting R-Squared, and how do you plan to tackle them?

Andalib Hasan: As you may have heard, data scientists spend 80% of their time cleaning data to make it usable and the rest 20% analyzing. It is no different for us, and this is a global problem. Everyone has data, but it is either messy or undiscovered so far. We help in both cases. Before even starting our work, we always take time to figure out the best ways to make clean data available and secure. Our analysts are well-trained as data engineers to create data warehouses for companies in need, and then we start making sense of this data for our business partners.

Syed Md. Rakeen: The competitive edge achieved through data analytics is gradually prompting several firms to seek the services of either data analysts or firms specialising in offering data analytics solutions. From your perspective, how do you envision the prospects of data analytics in Bangladesh in the next decade?

Andalib Hasan: The vast potential in Bangladesh is evident with a population of 170 million, of which 70 million are active internet users, predominantly young individuals generating substantial data daily. This trend is poised for continuous growth. Presently, the addressable market for data analytics in Bangladesh stands at USD 5 million. However, our estimation anticipates a significant surge to USD 500 million or more by 2040. This signifies an enormous opportunity for businesses to leverage data analytics, ensuring their competitiveness in the evolving market landscape.