Creating a mark in a male-dominated industry: An inspiring story of a French tech founder
The latest findings show that many women are not only unable to get into a managerial or technical role but are also finding it difficult to get hired in the technology and engineering sectors as they make up only about 14% of total the total workforce in STEM and just 25% of the total workforce in the computer-science related fields. Sadly, women software engineer hires have only increased 2% over the last 20 years.
It is not always that you meet a woman in the tech industry who has become a leader in her industry. This is what makes Galla Pupel so exceptional; she not only shows impressive promise, but her journey to establishing her own company Pure.metrics is nothing but remarkable.
Right from the beginning of her career she was always intrigued and passionate about technology and innovation in the analytics field, which was what led her to begin her career as a data engineer in 2011. Her work with prestigious clients such as the Bank of France (La Banque de France), La Poste, the postal service company in France, and Sage, a leading accounting software company, brought out the best in her and boosted her confidence to take the lead.
While working with the bank of France, she was in charge of the accelerated dashboard packaged solution, based on Microsoft Business Intelligence solutions. She also built BI solutions and implemented key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics Pupel during this time also single-handedly created more than 20 business intelligence proof-of-concept solutions, leading to projects. “I worked with a wide range of data solutions at the Bank of France, from helping them manage their gold stocks to analyzing their collateral assets. Teacher at heart, I also offered training and presentation to business users on business intelligence concepts and self-service business intelligence tools,” she said.
In 2015, she joined Azeo, a company that specialised in Microsoft technologies. During that time, she worked for TF1 Group, a French media holding company, the largest European private TV channel. As a BI architect, she was in charge of the main financial data warehouse and she implemented KPIs for financial analysis. “Thanks to my knowledge of the self-service BI and as a conference speaker, I was up to date on the latest analytics technologies on the market. I brought TF1 my experience of business intelligence, coupled with low-code app development,” she added. In 2018, she joined Ivalua, a SaaS procurement and spend management software company, where she led the platform business intelligence (PBI) team in North America. During that time, she enabled many Fortune 500 companies to analyze their analytics across the complete source to pay process, and helped them answer important questions and identify key opportunities.
Developing low code solutions
After working extensively with different MNCs, Pupel then began working on developing low code apps as these solutions can be tested, evaluated and refined without having to involve formal software development staff members. “It allowed me to compare, discard or merge solutions to the point that they were deemed mature enough to be passed on to development for more implementation,” said the BI architect and co-founder of Pure.metrics.
According to her, business intelligence has changed a lot in the past eight years. And nowadays, companies want all their employees to learn how to leverage company data and get insight as easily as possible. At the same time, there is a growing belief that analysts should be empowered and be able to directly connect to the data to produce their own analyses because at the end of the day they are the ones who need to understand data. “Power BI, power apps and power automate are agile low-code tools that help non-developers to build their own solution. Microsoft believes that by using these three solutions at the same time, the analyst will be able to reach unexpected heights and generate tangible value for his company.”
It was this very thought that led her to found her own company, Pure.metrics.
The founding of Pure.metrics
With such extensive experience and a list of achievements, it would seem only appropriate that Pupel start her own company, however becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t easy. “ It is challenging to start a company in tech when you are a woman. Stereotyping is very common in this sector and many people in the tech industry feel that women are not qualified to work in the sector,” she said.
According to her unlike most men in the tech community, she had to time and again prove herself to her employers. “I have had to prove myself every time I started a new project. But with the support of my clients, coupled with my previous successful experiences in the field, I felt it was legitimate to start my own tech company,” she adds.
There is that fear of the unknown when you start a company. Quitting a well-paid job for an unpredictable future is scary. But fueled with my motivation and focusing on my goal, plus my client's support, it helps me achieve my goals even if I had never run a business before.
Pure.metrics utilises the power of data through a set of pre-built dashboard packages verified in the consumer market. Its unique dashboards and advanced, refined KPIs help companies identify trends and patterns and unleash significant strategic value from their costs. By researching the database and linking it to all data entry points, Pure.metrics LLC provides a set of tools that provide better predictive analytics and insights into changes, so companies can respond faster, make predictions and generate more accurate data.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the company is uniquely positioned to help businesses garner the data they need to accomplish their marketing goals. “Our solutions help our clients make the right decisions when it comes to spending, like is their supplier charging them too much for the raw materials or products they are buying,” says Pupel.
It took Pupel years of hard work and research to develop this solution and it would not have been possible if she had given up on it when she was met with hurdles. Her strength to go on despite the problems she has faced on her way to success is what makes her unique.
Combined with her exceptional story of overcoming industry adversity, Pupel is not only a model data engineer but also a true inspiration to women everywhere.
Having made a name for herself in a male-dominated field, she has proven that through personal sacrifices, will power and hard work - anything is possible.
