What's Your Number? The Startup Unlocking the ‘Black Hole’ of the Open Sea - with Ami Daniel
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Feb 25, 2026 Ami Daniel, co-founder and CEO of Windward and former Israeli naval officer, explains how maritime intelligence maps the ocean’s blind spots. He discusses the rise of the dark fleet, how sanctions reshape oil flows, and why AI and new data sources are transforming ship tracking and geopolitical risk.
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Why The Ocean Is A Global Visibility Problem
- The ocean is inherently blind because radars and horizon limits leave massive gaps that make ships easy to hide and 90% of global goods depend on sea transport.
- Windward blends hundreds of satellite and open sources to build continuous profiles of ships, cargos, companies and people for actionable maritime intelligence.
How a Missile Strike Sparked Windward
- Ami Daniel survived a Hezbollah missile strike on the Israeli ship Hanit in 2006 which killed four crewmates and sank a nearby cargo vessel.
- The event happened during a Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony so most crew were forward and survived, and it became the emotional driver for Windward's mission.
Standardize Prep To Win High Stakes Meetings
- Prepare relentlessly and standardize operations: Ami runs customer pre-reads, debriefs and hot-washes to ensure consistent performance.
- He compares showing up every day to LeBron's consistency as the key to long-term success.