Neil D’Souza is the Founder and CEO of Makersite. During this conversation, Neil discusses doubling impact every year, mapping 35% of the world’s supply chains, commitment to the cause... and being Germanised! 

Makersite is transforming how products are made by accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy. They’re the leader in delivering supply chain digital twins for product sustainability, compliance, and cost optimisation for the world’s leading brands. 

1. What is Makersite’s mission? 

We aim to make supply chains transparent, enabling manufacturers to create and deliver better products faster than ever before. Transparent supply chains unlock incredible possibilities, but the core challenge we want to address is understanding what’s happening within them. 

From our interactions with customers, we’ve discovered that 90% of the data needed to comprehend supply chain operations isn’t stored within their systems - it resides within the supply chain itself. This presents a significant problem. Without this knowledge, it’s impossible to effectively manage costs, risks, compliance, or environmental impact. 

Reaching 100% accuracy is extremely challenging. The returns diminish logarithmically as you approach that level, making the effort to hit 99% often impractical. At the same time, 80/20 isn’t sufficient either - you can’t make critical business decisions, like a $100 million investment, based on incomplete or imprecise data. 

Our goal is to get to 90/10 as quickly as possible. This approach sets us apart from the 80/20 solutions, which are too simplistic, and the near-100% solutions, which are often inefficient. We aim to strike the perfect balance: delivering actionable insights quickly and accurately.  

Currently, we can map out 35% of everything made in the world, in detail. 

Complementing this is an advanced AI that prepares customer data intelligently and connects it to our supply chain model. With just the 10% of data most customers have in their systems, we use our database to infer what’s happening across the supply chain, filling in the gaps and enabling smarter decisions. 

2. What have been the most significant milestones in Makersite’s journey so far? 

That’s a tough question because the top list evolve every year, but there are three key moments that stand out. The first was reaching our first million euros in revenue. This was a pivotal achievement because our business model is unique - our revenue is directly tied to the number of products assessed on Makersite. It’s not based on users or arbitrary metrics like ROI; it’s simple: the more products processed, the more value we deliver to customers and the more revenue we generate. Hitting that first million proved we were making a meaningful impact by helping make supply chains more transparent. It also showed that we had built a scalable tool, capable of solving problems in a way I hadn’t seen in my 20 years in the field. 

The second milestone was securing our Series A funding. When investors are willing to put money on the table, it affirms your company’s potential. 

As a founder, it’s validating when customers believe in your product, but Series A is different - it’s proof that you’ve built not just a great product but a viable business.

The third milestone, and perhaps the most personal, was when we grew to 100 employees. When I started Makersite, I had just welcomed my second child and was building the company alone in my living room. Reaching 100 employees marked a transformation - not just in scale but in responsibility. It was no longer just about the product or the customers; it was about the lives of 100 people and their families, all relying on the success of this business. That realisation was both humbling and exhilarating, and it’s a moment I’ll always cherish. 

3. What do you look for in the perfect customer? 

It's the same as what we look for in our colleagues: people who share our passion for change and have the grit to see it through. Everything else - whether their data is ready or whether they know how to build a business case for automation - is secondary. 

If this [sustainability] is just a checkbox exercise for a prospect, we’re not the right partner. But if a company truly wants to improve how they make and sell products, then we’re the best partner they’ll find. We share that passion, and we’re relentless in supporting meaningful change.

When such customers partner with a company like ours, equally committed to the cause, it creates the foundation for great success. 

4. What are the foundations of growing a great team? 

One of the first lessons I learned the hard way is the importance of understanding “hands” and “heads.” A “head” is someone who can identify priorities and independently work through challenges. A “hand” is someone who executes well when given clear instructions. It’s not about different levels of intelligence – its just about how you want to plan execution and recognising when you need each kind of person. 

The second lesson is to hire smart people who share common values and have a shared purpose. For me, that purpose boils down to builders versus fixers. A fixer is trained to solve recurring problems - they follow a defined process. A builder thrives in unfamiliar situations and creates something entirely new. One way to recognise them is that fixers tend to move on after a job is done, while builders tend to stick around and keep building. A great team has a good mix of these kinds of people, at the right time, for the right kind of jobs.  

The third lesson is about culture, which I define as how you behave when no one is watching. Our job is to define the culture we want, determine the behaviours that embody that culture, and establish simple rituals that reinforce those behaviours. One of the reasons for our success today is that we avoided adopting an overbearing, hyper-competitive work culture. We don’t do the fist-bumping, chest-thumping style of motivation. Instead, we focus on behaviour that fosters collaboration, helps others, and reflects integrity. 

For us, there are three key outcomes we aim for in our culture: diversity, collaboration, and purpose. 

The first is diversity. It’s not just about gender or background - it’s about bringing together people with fundamentally different perspectives and expertise. The reason for this being so core to our culture is that most of the toughest problems we’re solving are at the intersection of multiple sciences and we need different perspectives to arrive at those solutions. This approach has been hugely successful for us and is fundamental to our hiring strategy. It is the only reason why we’ve always been remote-first – we prioritize the best skill-fit over the best geographic-fit. 

The second is collaboration. We have a simple rule called the “20-minute rule.” If you’re stuck on something for more than 20 minutes, you’re required to stop and ask someone for help - not before, because you need time to think things through, and not after, because we don’t want wasted time. Likewise, if someone reaches out for help, you’re expected to stop what you’re doing and assist them immediately. This creates a culture where helping each other is everyone’s responsibility. 

It’s not about which boat crosses the channel first; it’s about getting all the boats across as quickly as possible.

The third is purpose. We look for people who have found their personal sense of purpose, and we align that with what we aim to achieve. I believe you can’t force someone to care about what you care about. Instead, you need to find people whose passions naturally contribute to your mission.

5. How do you incorporate GenAI/advanced technologies, and what will be your next major digital innovation? 

I think we’ve already achieved many firsts in terms of technology within this space. When we started, nobody in the industry was using AI - most didn’t know how it could be helpful to them. 

At the time, AI was primarily limited to regression analysis and time series data, used to find trends. But that’s not the kind of AI you apply to solve complex supply chain problems.

We’ve pioneered the use of native graph databases for this purpose, as supply chains are inherently hyperconnected. Traditional relational databases, while useful, aren’t designed to handle the kind of dynamic relationships we deal with. We also implemented intelligent APIs. Unlike standard APIs, ours integrate AI at key endpoints, enabling users to ask complex questions and receive intelligent, context-aware responses. Similarly, we’ve developed knowledge graphs to map the global supply chain effectively. While it may sound like “boiling the ocean,” when done smartly, it yields exceptional results. 

At Makersite, we use cutting-edge technology in numerous ways, but it’s important to recognise that certain innovations, like GenAI, have limited applications in manufacturing today. Despite the buzz, much of GenAI currently revolves around text-based prompts. However, engineering and manufacturing are deeply rooted in numbers and intricate, mostly proprietary details - areas where current large language models (LLMs) fall short. For GenAI to be impactful in our domain, significant advancements will be required in its foundational layers.  

6. What’s the vision for Makersite? What does great look like in three to five years’ time? 

In the next 10 years, approximately 300 million new products will enter the European market. Our goal is to ensure these products are as sustainable as possible. Ideally, in the long term, we envision a world where every product sold is the most sustainable it can be. Achieving this will require a level of decision support that hasn’t existed before in how products are designed and manufactured. We have a clear vision of where we want to go and how fast we want to get there. 

When people ask me, “Where do you see your company in five years?” I often respond with a question: “Do you know where you will be in five years?” The reality is, nobody does. What matters is having a long-term vision and a clear recipe for progress.

For us, that recipe is simple: keep doubling impact year after year. While it becomes increasingly challenging over time, if we maintain this pace, we will achieve our vision. 

7. What are you doing that is good for the planet?

I see it this way: 100% of the impact we see in the world today comes from the products we make and use. It’s not about eating less meat, flying less, or driving less - those are superficial solutions. The real challenge lies in transforming the food we eat, the planes we fly, and the cars we drive into more sustainable versions of themselves. Our mission is to make these products as sustainable as they can be.  

It’s not about telling people to stop using certain things - we only live once, after all. Instead, it’s about fixing products at their core.

Rather than burdening companies with meaningless corporate reporting, we focus on the hard work of improving products. If you look at almost all our customers, they’re using our intelligence to create incredible outcomes. For example, Microsoft spent 3 years working towards what is arguably the world’s most sustainable laptop, the Surface Pro 10. Barco developed a carbon-neutral meeting room device – the Click Share Bar. This is the kind of meaningful impact we’re driving - and we’re just getting started. 

INSTANT INSPIRATION 

1. What is your favourite book/blog? 

Thinking , Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. 

2. Who is your favourite inspirational leader? 

I don’t have one. I believe we’re all just people. When we find ourselves in the right place, at the right time, surrounded by the right people, we become better. And if we repeat that often enough, we become famous. 

3. What is your favourite piece of technology? 

My smart watch. 

 4. What is your favourite cocktail or guilty pleasure? 

I’ve been ‘Germanised’! In southern Germany, when everything is going gangbusters, you just say, 'Not bad.' But I think it usually revolves around good food, good people, and good wine. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

1. The Shift Towards Sustainable Products: The focus on sustainability is becoming more important as manufacturers aim to produce products with less environmental impact. However, this requires decision-making support systems that can drive product design and manufacturing processes towards sustainability at scale. 
2. The Importance of Supply Chain Transparency: Transparency within supply chains is essential for addressing the complex challenges of costs, risks, compliance, and environmental impact. Understanding what happens within the supply chain, especially data not stored in internal systems, is critical for making smarter decisions. 
3. The Challenge of Accurate Data: Achieving 100% accuracy in supply chain data is difficult. Balance is necessary, with the goal being actionable insights quickly and accurately, rather than chasing unrealistic perfection. 
4. The Role of AI in Supply Chains: The integration of AI, especially with knowledge graphs and advanced technologies, is fundamental for creating actionable insights in complex supply chains. 
5. The Complexity of Manufacturing and Supply Chain Systems: Traditional relational databases aren’t enough for handling the intricate, hyperconnected relationships in supply chains. Innovative approaches like graph databases are becoming crucial for modelling and understanding these relationships in depth. 
6. The Need for Diverse and Collaborative Teams: A culture of collaboration and shared purpose enables teams to work efficiently across various disciplines, enhancing the potential for innovation and progress. 
7. Tech and Innovation Must Align with Industry Needs: While technologies like GenAI are receiving attention, they are currently not fully suited for the detailed, numeric-driven world of manufacturing and supply chain management. 

About Makersite 

Makersite is transforming how products are made by accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy. They’re the leader in delivering supply chain digital twins for product sustainability, risk, and cost optimisation for the world’s leading brands. 

About ProcureTechSTARS 

ProcureTechSTARS are the digital procurement CEOs and Founders who are transforming procurement and the enterprise. In an open conversation with these leaders, Lance Younger discusses the highs and lows of building the future, the challenges they’ve faced, their perspective on the latest developments, and what motivates them.