The Beginning of NetWise & The Future Of The Data Industry: Q&A with NetWise CEO

For the last 10 years, NetWise has been the leading provider of B2B Audience Data to the largest B2B data companies, direct brands, agencies, platforms, sales & marketing professionals, and data science teams. We have helped businesses achieve true multi-channel marketing success, allowing companies to target the same audience across all marketing channels in every platform you want to use. Just like every business, NetWise experienced some challenges and changes in the past 10 years to become the successful company it is today! We sat down with the Founder & CEO of NetWise, Dwight Gorall, to learn more about how NetWise came to be and where the data industry is headed in 2021 and beyond.

Q: What is your background?

DG: I have 18 years of data experience under my belt. For the first 8 years, I worked in risk & fraud data and then switched over to B2B marketing data, where I’ve been for the last 10 years. 

Q: How did NetWise begin?

DG: I was working for a large data company in the risk & fraud data space that dealt with public record data. Around 2010, I had an idea. I realized there was so much data in the public domain (the Internet), and it was becoming more accessible in various ways. It was fascinating to me, so I decided that I would dive into the public domain data space. My expertise in monetizing data and solving business problems with data assets set me up for success in the B2B marketing industry, and in May of 2011, I started NetWise.

Q: What was your main reason for starting NetWise?

DG: I wanted to leverage my expertise in the data industry, and I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. There was this great world wide web of public domain data and there was a business opportunity for me to build a great company, which is what NetWise is today.

Q: What interests you the most about your business?

DG: Without a doubt, our people. We currently have about 20 people in our organization and growing. The output that this business produces on a daily basis is equivalent to a 60 person company. The customer-centric thought process that every person goes through every day is so inspiring to me.

Q: How would you say NetWise has changed or grown over the years?

DG: The company first started without any engineering talent, but our team had a lot of data experience so we knew how to sell data products. Fortunately, we were introduced to a group of professionals who had strong backgrounds in data engineering, which was a perfect match for our sales team. In 2015, we merged these two groups and this helped us start building our own data. More importantly, we’ve been able to pivot from a wholesale business to focusing more on brand-centric distribution. We’re fortunate to have big clients in the B2B marketing space, and that has propelled us for growth in 2021.

Q: What can we expect the industry to look like in 2021?

DG: Over the last several years, there has been consolidation in the mar-tech and ad-tech space. We’re extremely fortunate as a company to have been able to grow top-line revenue during the 2020 pandemic. I think we’ll see tremendous consolidation continue into 2021. Additionally, we’ll see continued growth in B2B multichannel marketing. B2C advertising has always been on Facebook, but more B2B marketers are embracing social media platforms for display advertising, so I anticipate that will continue to grow. The office landscape has changed for the foreseeable future, and now there is a tremendous population of people working remotely. In 2021, B2B marketing must get smarter and more focused while utilizing all channels and aspects of marketing to reach business decision-makers. Smarter marketing, multichannel execution, and continued consolidation are three points of growth in 2021. 

Q: Why is NetWise crucial for a business’s success?

DG: When you're selling data products, you must either reduce expenses or increase revenue, or both. At NetWise, our motto is simple: great data drives leads and leads drive revenue. We truly believe that our data will grow top-line revenue for B2B marketers.

Want to take your business to the next level in 2021? Contact NetWise’s data experts today!