11 Jan January 11, 2027 – Japanese Manufacturing Entrepreneur Yushiro Kato, Sales & Strategy Raj Datta, and Corporate Trainer Dr. Andy Dunn
Yushiro Kato – Founder of CADDi – CAD Manufacturing Startup
CADDi is a software startup for the manufacturing field. We have two
business units. One is CADDi Manufacturing, a procurement platform for
custom made parts, connecting buyers and suppliers in the market.
Secondly, we have CADDi Drawer which launched last year and is
drawing search software to reduce procurement costs. It automatically
analyzes historic 2D drawings, even handwritten ones, so people can
search drawings not just by keyword but using our patented AI.
Yushiro Kato
Yushiro Kato is a kind of wunderkind in Japan. And now, he’s building an empire here in the states. At 32, he’s the head of CADDi, a company that has excelled in helping companies outsource the manufacturing of challenging parts. The business works with hundreds of factories worldwide to streamline operations using the Kaizen approach and then splits profits with those factories as CADDi customers increase demand. (Forbes 30 Under 30, Forbes Top 10 Japanese Entrepreneurs of 2023, and their company made a Top 10 story of 2023 in the Chicago Business Journal). Now, CADDi has created CADDi Drawer, an AI-enabled tool to help engineers and manufacturers streamline production. Fresh on the heels of a nearly $90-million Series C round a few months ago, this company, with a U.S. HQ in Chicago, is making waves with a platform that promises to increase efficiency by 80% during the procurement process through its proprietary image analysis algorithm, automatic drawing analysis and link purchase history. As both a manufacturer and now a SaaS product provider, Yushiro has a wide view of the startup world and how manufacturers are looking at the problems they face amid digital transformation.
Raj Datta – IBM Vice-President, ISV & Technology Partnerships
I am seeing some of the coolest use cases for Watson X Generative AI
from companies that are two to three person shops. I ran into a CEO that
was using Watson X Trial and was up and running within the weekend.
This is for any size company.
Raj Datta
Raj Datta leads strategy and sales in the IBM Ecosystem through partnerships with companies globally. He was previously the CEO of oak9, a cloud security company, and prior to founding the company worked at IBM for over 18 years. Datta’s team is focused on delivering exponential revenue growth across IBM’s software portfolio, with a key focus on A.I. (IBM watsonx) and Hybrid Cloud (RedHat OpenShift).
Dr. Andy Dunn – Corporate Trainer at Dale Carnegie
I try to remind myself of the exorbitant price I could pay for worry. Rather
than worrying my way into the New Year, I am going into it with a plan,
commitments and knowing that with integrity and hard work we can all
finish the year in a better place.
Dr. Andy Dunn
Dr. Andy Dunn joined Dale Carnegie in 2022 as a corporate trainer. He brings with him diverse experience in areas including public school teaching, diversity, and corporate training. He completed his Ph.D. in Exceptional Learning. Dale Carnegie is his “dream job” because it offers him an effective and time-proven structure and encourages him to “make it his own.” Dale Carnegie’s principles remind him to “Give honest, sincere appreciation.” That can go a long way in developing and maintaining the best relationships. When not facilitating training with Dale Carnegie, he can usually be found in his garden, at the ball field, or writing music at the piano. If not there, he is likely on a Gulf Coast beach or in (or around) Lake Tahoe.