Ethan Aaron, CEO of Portable: $3 Million Raised to Build a Cloud ETL Tool That Supports the Long Tail of Business Applications

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ethan Aaron, CEO of Portable, an extract, transform and loading data platform that’s raised over $3 million in funding, about why bespoke-built data solutions are mission critical for so many businesses these days, and how Portable’s streamlined, seamless software is helping people get a grip on the insights they really need. With a range of solutions ready to plug in and go already available for clients and the capacity to quickly innovate and integrate systems for extremely specific needs, Portable is making a space for itself in a saturated data ecosystem, and their client testimonials speak for themselves.

We also speak about the years Ethan had spent working in data, the legacy of entrepreneurship in his family background, exactly how the ETL pain points were identified and why alleviating them is such a profitable opportunity, and why Portable is determined to keep the focus on their customers, rather than obsessing about how much capital they can raise.

Topics Discussed:

• Ethan’s years in the data economy, and how the investment environment has changed over the years


• How Ethan’s entrepreneurial family helped inspire him to get into the startup space


• The ETL model, and why a singe simple acronym is helping redefine companies’ relationships with their data


• How Portable found themselves in an independent market niche, and how their unique product offering keeps them a class apart from the competition


• Why building-out bespoke solutions is an invaluable asset for a company promising critical insights on complex data


• Why a focus on funding comes second to keeping customer satisfaction as a priority for Portable

Favorite book: 

The Art of Narrative Psychiatry: Stories of Strength and Meaning