Uptime Now Ep5: How AI Is Reshaping Data Center Procurement and Construction
Mar 26, 2026
Ojonimi Bako, co-founder and CEO of Kaya AI and a two-decade entrepreneur in construction tech. He talks about fixing broken procurement for data centers. He explains an AI teammate that learns company docs. He describes an AI control tower coordinating supplies, and trends like cooling, power and labor shaping projects.
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Origin Story That Led To Procurement Innovation
- Ojonimi Bako traced his entrepreneur drive to his parents' educator background and early work creating affordable housing in Columbus.
- A weekend hackathon POC at Walmart Labs inspired Buyers Connect and the idea to aggregate procurement for construction.
Make Procurement The Cohesive Beachhead
- Kaya's north star is to make product discovery, purchase, tracking, and delivery a cohesive procurement experience.
- They focused on supply chain and procurement because those motions are fragmented and rarely integrated in construction.
Hire Missionaries And Invest In Design
- Hire missionaries not mercenaries and set a high talent bar to build a committed team for hard‑tech adoption.
- Prioritize designers who bridge user understanding and technology to simplify legacy workflows.