Follow the Steps of a Solution Architect’s Career Path at WhizAI

For Emma Yamada, Solution Architect, joining the team at WhizAI was a great next step in her career. 

Emma has worked as the director of data science in one position and as the director of analytics at a health system before coming to WhizAI.  “I worked on the analytics side and the product side, including the unique experience of working for a hospital that developed its own software,” Emma explains. “I had a mix of experiences that aligned with what WhizAI was looking for.”  

Furthermore, WhizAI had what she was looking for. As a company with a mission to change the face of analytics with natural language processing (NLP), she was intrigued by the product. “And once I saw the product, I knew it was something I would have used in my previous position. I wanted to join the team.” 

First Steps in a Solution Architect Career at WhizAI

Emma, who began working at WhizAI in 2022 as a solution architect, works closely with sales. ”I create prototypes, build and conduct demos, and work with prospective clients through presales processes, including proof of concept and pilots,” she explains. 

The role was familiar to Emma, who had pitched ideas to the health system she worked for previously, with one difference. She comments, “I used to pitch to the leadership of the health system. I was used to knowing the people in the room. It was a challenge to meet with a new customer every week. What resonates with one may not resonate with another. I needed to hone my skills to conduct demos and presentations for different people.”

“I like that part. There’s more give and take in exchanges,” she says. 

Next Steps in a Growing Startup 

After several months with the company, Emma is now creating more custom demos, focusing on very specific solutions to meet clients’ business problems. 

“Clinical research, commercial operations, and market access teams all have different needs,” Emma explains. “Instead of a generic demo, I’m showing them examples of the things they can do with WhizAI day to day.”

Tailoring demos requires Emma to work more closely with the WhizAI product team, communicating what prospective clients are looking for and the features that differentiate WhizAI from other products on the market and provide value to users. 

Emma also sees the opportunity for advancement in her new company. “We now primarily provide WhizAI to pharmaceutical companies and have worked with a few payers. As I work more with the product, I am seeing how we can expand more into healthcare,” Emma explains. 

“We can make it easier and easier for people from non-technical backgrounds to get answers they need that make sense to them,” she points out. However, she recognizes that analytics teams can use WhizAI as well. “A report they create now might take two weeks. With WhizAI, it could take only two hours,” she says. 

Not on the Journey Alone

Emma says the WhizAI culture and organization have contributed to her professional development. “There’s never a challenge getting the information and support you need,” she says. “When I began, one of my first goals was to understand the product, and the people here all love to educate people about WhizAI. Everyone is open and committed to the product.” 

She also likes WhizAI’s flexible work schedule, particularly when working with clients based in a wide range of time zones. “WhizAI takes that into consideration and encourages a good work-life balance. That’s not always true in other companies,” she says. 

Emma stresses that people interested in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can find a rewarding solution architect career at WhizAI. “We live and breathe it every day,” she comments. She adds that it’s also a great place for people who “enjoy the adrenaline rush of working at a startup and getting things done even though a thousand things are happening.” 

I’m motivated by that kind of energy,” Emma says. “I’ve enjoyed it so far.”