Empowering Entrepreneurs Through a Human-First Approach to Data Analytics

Dr. Huina Mao and Dr. Qingqing Han are creating a company that harnesses machine and human intelligence to solve bigger problems.

When Qingqing Han and Huina Mao founded Wissee⁠—a data engine that scans the sentiment and behavior of experts and influencers online and turns it into actionable insights for investors and marketers⁠—their goal wasn’t to build a tool that collects and extrapolates data; it was to create a way to make market intelligence available to everyone.

Wissee's story begins in 2009 when Han and Mao first met at Indiana University while completing their Ph.D. degrees. They drew upon their experience to join forces and launch a new type of technology company in 2018, that took an innovative approach to big data.

For Mao, her motivation came from her studies in behavioral finance. For her Ph.D., she co-authored research that analyzed discussions on Twitter and turned them into quantifiable data that could make predictions in the stock market.

Meanwhile, Han worked for a think tank upon finishing her Ph.D., where she explored a range of functions, including data and project management. She also worked with the United Nations, fulfilling her life purpose of creating a positive social impact through her career.

It was striking a balance between machine and human intelligence that sparked the idea of Wissee, whose mission to See Beyond Data seeks to include the voices and input of real people. When it comes to interpreting data, what matters most is the story that it tells. And while numbers tend to do a lot of heavy lifting in driving decision-making, human empathy and creativity still hold a major advantage.

Making sense of the overwhelming amount of available data online is a common challenge faced by investors and marketers today. But Wissee's goal of “simplify[ing] life and decision-making while at the same time helping businesses achieve their highest potential” ensures that any person or company—whether you're a fund manager or a startup in the early days—can make sense of high-quality, real-time data via Wissee's insight engine, and pull it into a well-informed investment strategy.

Without the assistance of their algorithms, this valuable information might otherwise only be available to large companies with pockets deep enough to pay for it.

Through unlocking access to expert insights and influencer trends, Wissee’s product has the potential to expand beyond the businesses they help to succeed: the ripple effect contributes to sustainable and equal-opportunity economic growth across the board.

In addition to their mission to help entrepreneurs grow their investments, Han and Mao aim to take the challenges they have overcome as Chinese-born, non-native English-speaking women in the American startup landscape and use them to lead by example. Drawing upon the success of Wissee, they want to guide the next generation of female startup founders by creating a community to address the issues facing women in a male-dominated space and turn them into triumphs.

Wissee's approach is a refreshing take in the world of Artificial Intelligence, digitization, and automation. They prove that the driving force behind the engines and algorithms is people; technology is merely the vehicle that facilitates the exchange and helps it have far-reaching and unlimited potential.

Impactika's purpose-driven consulting approach helped Wissee harness its vision to use business as a way to contribute towards the greater good. To learn more about Wissee, check out this interview with co-founders Qingqing Han and Huina Mao on their company blog.