Relentless #35 - Elliot F. Poirier, Co-Founder of Watoga
6 snips
Aug 6, 2025 In this discussion with Elliot F. Poirier, the co-founder and CEO of Watoga, a mining AI startup, he shares his captivating journey from gaming inspiration in Minecraft to launching a tech company. Elliot dives into the innovative application of AI for modern mining, emphasizing the need for better data integration and predictive modeling. He candidly discusses the challenges of client relationships, the chaotic move from Quebec to the U.S., and the importance of networking. Personal anecdotes reveal his struggles with ambition and mental health, making for an inspiring yet relatable conversation.
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Blasts Are Essentially Irreversible
- Blasts are effectively irreversible: a bad blast creates a massive, costly-to-move pile of rock.
- That irreversibility makes drill-and-blast a high-impact place to apply better modeling and controls.
Combine SaaS With Services To Win Adoption
- Pair software with service offerings to capture more value and ensure adoption at cautious mines.
- Use the software to produce designs, then offer to execute drill-and-blast as a service while retaining engineering oversight.
Integrate Existing Sensors First
- Start integrations by ingesting the mine's existing sensors and vendor data rather than forcing new hardware.
- Build direct streams with the few major OEMs and pipeline data site-by-site initially.