Boom Supersonic, a Denver-based startup, is aiming to reinvent air travel by designing a new supersonic passenger jet. The challenge lies in the fact that the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft, Concorde, was not commercially successful due to high operating costs and the inability to fill 100 seats at the $20,000 round-trip ticket price. The Concorde was retired in 2003 after Airbus could no longer source parts, marking a rare backward step in technology progress. Fourteen years later, Boom is reigniting the dream of supersonic travel and showcasing its updated XB-1 supersonic demonstrator at the Paris Air Show. However, the design phase this time is very different from the 1960s, requiring advanced computational capabilities and efficient data management workflows.

Brother Industries, a global business with operations in over 40 countries, was seeking ways to increase growth and improve cost competitiveness in the highly competitive global market. As part of this strategy, the company decided to transition its internal IT infrastructure to the cloud. The first step in this transition was the introduction of Rescale, a high-performance computing (HPC) solution built for the cloud, to their printer development team. However, the company faced a challenge when the maintenance contract for the hardware built into their in-house developed analysis automation system, ATLAS, expired in 2019. The company was forced to decide whether to renew the contract or seek an alternative solution. Additionally, some of the analysis tools built into ATLAS required high-spec CPUs, which put pressure on the company's budget.

Eco-Runner Team Delft, a student engineering team at TU Delft, has been designing and building the most efficient hydrogen-powered vehicles since 2005. They participate in the Shell Eco-marathon competition annually, where the goal is to complete a 16-kilometer course using the least amount of fuel. The challenge lies in designing a vehicle with a fuel-efficient propulsion system and a body with minimal resistance or weight. The weight of the vehicle is particularly crucial to fuel efficiency, especially in the 2017 Eco-marathon course that featured a hill. The team's design efforts were focused on making every component of the car as light as possible to reduce the energy requirement to climb the hill. However, they faced the challenge of exploring and simulating many weight-saving design options while maintaining structural integrity, all within a constrained project schedule and a student budget.

LSIS, a Korean enterprise, was keen on building a universal high-performance computing (HPC) cloud-based CAE platform. The company had established an organization called C2 in 2015, with the mission to develop an effective and reliable system to support CAE and CAD. The objective was to create a system that their in-house engineers could use anytime, anywhere without any limitations. However, the cost of building a private HPC platform was over 5 million USD, which was prohibitively expensive. The high cost of constructing an HPC data center made it more sensible to transition to the public cloud. LSIS also faced the challenge of finding a cloud platform that could effectively run CAE software like ANSYS, STAR-CCM+, and Abaqus without requiring significant time and money to install the software on the infrastructure.

Manor Racing, a small but ambitious Formula 1 team, was seeking a technological edge to enhance their performance during the 2016 FIA Formula 1 World Championship challenge. The team needed a solution that could handle the complexity of Formula 1 racing, where every thousandth of a second counts. They required a platform that could work in tandem with their existing race strategy simulation software, enabling their engineers to evaluate thousands of simulations and strategies. The goal was to be at the cutting edge of innovative decision-making during a Grand Prix weekend, all from a laptop web browser.

Modine Manufacturing Company, a global provider of heat transfer solutions, was facing challenges with their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Their workstation computing systems in North America were relatively large but lacked an in-house grid computing environment. These workstations, with 10 cores and 64 gigabytes of memory, were constrained by memory and computing bandwidth, limiting the amount of parallelization they could use in their simulations. Modine Germany had a grid updated every five years, with 32 processors and plans for expansion. However, the company wanted to eliminate assumptions in their models, which added complexity and increased the model size. They also wanted to do more transient simulations, which are complex models that take a long time to run. Running a transient simulation on ten cores took them about three months, which was practically impossible. They realized they didn’t have the computing power to quickly investigate methodologies without purchasing their own computing equipment, which would have significantly delayed their development.

Optisys, a small radiofrequency (RF) antenna design company based in Utah, faced several challenges in its operations. The company specializes in 3D printing custom RF antenna solutions for military and commercial applications, a field that requires intensive simulations. However, the company's IT infrastructure was not up to the task. Optisys' team members were spread across different regions of the US, making it difficult to collaborate effectively. The company was also limited by the need to set up electromagnetics licenses and mechanical package licenses on local workstations, which meant only one person could use them at a time. Furthermore, the company did not want to invest in setting up a local intranet and server to check out licenses, as this was outside of their core competency. Another challenge was the need to purchase new high-performance computers for simulations every two to three years, a costly and inefficient process.

Resolved Analytics, a boutique computational engineering and optimization consultant firm, faced a significant challenge in managing their fluctuating simulation needs. The number of customers and the computational demands of their problems varied from month to month, making it difficult to manage with their internal capability of 16 processors. Owning a standalone software license capable of handling the highest workloads was not economically viable, especially during months when only 8 or 16 processors were needed. This resulted in underutilized resources and inefficiencies. Furthermore, the firm found that 16 processors were insufficient for complex multi-physics problems, which required 64 or 128 processors for efficient execution.

Eric Lee, a graduate student at the University of Kansas, was conducting research on nanofluidics, specifically nanowetting problems. His work involved the use of molecular dynamics codes, such as LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator), for computational analyses. However, to fully leverage the scalability of LAMMPS and expedite his analyses, he required access to a large computing cluster that could work seamlessly with LAMMPS. He also needed a platform that could support his specific version of LAMMPS and any custom scripts he wanted to upload. The challenge was to find a solution that could provide the necessary computational power and software compatibility, while also being user-friendly and responsive to his specific needs.

A³, with its project Vahana, aimed to revolutionize personal air transportation by introducing an autonomous, pilotless aircraft. The challenge lay in the design phase of this vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The project had a vast design space to explore, with designers seeking sci-fi inspired shapes, structural engineers focusing on weight, and aerodynamicists aiming for sleek, high-performance flight surfaces. The task was to create a large number of virtual prototypes to cover the design space and satisfy all stakeholders. However, achieving this with a minimal in-house IT footprint was a significant challenge.

Pharmaceutical and biotech organizations frequently collaborate with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) testing of pharmacokinetics (PK) properties of drug candidates. However, most CROs use their own data formats for standard assays, which can pose data aggregation challenges to biopharma companies. The ability to harmonize data from different CRO reports is critical to scale up ADME/PK processes. The manual data workflows for pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) studies are laborious. Scientists have to manually check the reports from CROs, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.

Bayer, a large biopharma company based in Leverkusen, Germany, was seeking to enhance its customer engagement strategy for healthcare professionals (HCPs), patients, and caregivers. The company aimed to deliver personalized messages at the right time and place, but this required a shift from channel-specific thinking to a more connected approach across in-person and digital channels. The challenge was to integrate digital experiences with face-to-face communication and sales consultant activities, as well as patient and caregiver communication. Bayer also needed to establish foundational technology and optimize messaging across channels. Another challenge was to connect digital marketing and field force activities, which required understanding customer needs and leveraging data to tailor communication.

Blue Earth Diagnostics, a UK-based leader in the development and commercialization of novel PET radiopharmaceuticals, faced a significant challenge in expanding its U.S. presence and overall reach. Despite having a U.S. headquarters since 2016, the company had not yet established a strong local marketing presence. The marketing team identified social media as the most expedient and effective way to reach a broader U.S. audience. However, building a social media strategy from scratch presented two major challenges. Firstly, the company had limited time and resources to dedicate to social media. Secondly, they needed to create a compliant process for posting and sharing content that would meet rigorous medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) requirements, a critical factor in the life sciences industry.

Bristol Myers Squibb, a large biopharma company, was facing challenges in establishing an effective omnichannel content strategy. The term 'omnichannel' was widely used within the organization, but its meaning varied among different stakeholders, leading to confusion and misalignment in strategy. The company also struggled with gaining buy-in and advocacy from the leadership team for the omnichannel approach. The leadership team needed to understand the potential impact of an omnichannel strategy on the organization and how it could benefit their customers. Additionally, the company was grappling with the challenge of not overwhelming their customers with too many channels, but rather focusing on the right ones.

The Crofoot Clinic and Research Center, a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research, was grappling with the challenge of outdated, paper-based processes for clinical research documentation. Despite the widespread adoption of digital healthcare technologies, the clinic's research documentation remained largely paper-based, making it difficult for investigators and support staff to manage and access necessary documents. The paper-based system also posed significant challenges for patients participating in clinical trials, who often had to take time off work to review and sign consent forms at the clinic. The complexity of managing patient consent forms, coupled with the logistical challenges of a sprawling metropolitan area like Houston, made it difficult for potential study candidates to consider participating in a clinical trial. The lack of integration between the clinic's data management systems and the various eConsent forms used by sponsors further complicated the situation, increasing work and compliance risks.

EQRx, a biotech company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was launched in 2020 with the ambitious mission of making innovative medicines available at significantly lower prices. To achieve this, the company needed to build a modern development platform that could align cross-functional business processes and deliver efficiency at scale. The platform needed to meet the company's requirements for minimal custom development, sustainable total cost of ownership, and productized integrations to reduce maintenance and complexity. The challenge was to implement this platform across various departments including clinical data, clinical operations, quality, regulatory, and safety in a short span of time.

Exact Sciences, a molecular diagnostics company, was grappling with an inefficient medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) review process. The company was using different technologies for MLR review across its various business units, with no enterprise solution or integrations in place. This lack of uniformity and integration was causing inefficiencies and slowing down the review and approval process. The company also lacked dedicated roles for managing the MLR review process, with senior vice presidents often taking on the task. The challenge was to streamline and optimize the MLR review process, implement a scalable technology solution, and change the company culture around MLR.

Emerging biotech companies face significant challenges around document control and inspection readiness. One of the most critical issues is building and maintaining an electronic trial master file (eTMF) that is complete and accurate. Without this, companies are likely to experience delays in market approvals. It is common to see issues with FDA submissions, with 50% ending up with critical data conformance issues. Common quality findings of the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) include data being incomplete, inconsistent, inaccurate, duplicated, misnamed, or misfiled. Furthermore, the shift towards a new digital model for document control presents a steep learning curve for most companies. They need to understand the full capabilities of the technology and either hire new staff to implement it or re-assign existing staff.

GSK, a global healthcare company, was facing challenges in managing its clinical data due to the use of multiple Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems and complex processes. The company was using at least four different types of EDCs within its clinical data ecosystem, each customized to such an extent that it resembled a jigsaw puzzle. This complexity was slowing down the process of data review and management. Additionally, the company was struggling with the proliferation of digital data sources as it embraced hybrid digital trial models. The need for effective data management had become a key driver of trial success. GSK also aimed to accelerate the delivery of life-saving treatments, a goal hindered by the existing complex data management system.

GSK’s field teams heavily relied on Veeva CRM for their daily operations. However, they faced challenges in pre-call planning, affiliations management, and direct-to-practitioner (DTP) sampling process. The pre-call planning process was time-consuming as reps had to sift through a lot of unnecessary information to prepare for a call. The process of creating or breaking an affiliation between a healthcare professional (HCP) and a healthcare organization (HCO) was also cumbersome, involving multiple steps. Moreover, with the transition to a fully DTP sampling process, reps had difficulty tracking their inventory of virtual samples. They could only see the sample limits when they were in front of an HCP, which was not efficient.

Illumina, a leading biotechnology company, was facing significant challenges in managing their study builds. The traditional process involved authoring and reviewing specifications for over three months, after which the Contract Research Organization (CRO) would build the database. This process was not only time-consuming but also lacked efficiency and agility. The study team would then review the specifications, which was a manual, paper-based process. Additionally, Illumina was conducting 100% regression testing during User Acceptance Testing (UAT), which was a significant burden. The company was also running a COVID-19 diagnostics trial during the pandemic, which required great flexibility and rapid changes.

Kyowa Kirin, a large biopharma company based in Tokyo, Japan, was faced with the challenge of adapting to the digital shift in the industry, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company needed to deliver relevant content to healthcare professionals (HCPs) through digital channels, which had become the new standard for interaction in the field. The shift to digital engagement models required the company to create more content faster, while maintaining compliance and cost-effectiveness. The company also needed to harness data-driven insights to inform the content creation process and deliver personalized content at each stage of the customer journey.

Merck KGaA, a large biopharma company based in Darmstadt, Germany, was facing challenges in the evolution of the brand manager role. The traditional methods of brand management were no longer sufficient in the digital age. The company recognized the need for brand managers to delve deeper into customer data and understand the story it tells, rather than relying on quantity measurements like clicks. However, there was a gap in the skills and expertise required to perform this analysis. Additionally, the company was grappling with the need to operate in both digital and traditional environments, and the pace of brand marketing was increasing rapidly. The challenge was to upskill brand managers or bring in new skills, and to manage digital assets effectively to create and communicate quality content at a faster pace.

Merck, a leading pharmaceutical company, was facing challenges with its traditional content creation process. The company was creating individual content assets from scratch, a method that was becoming increasingly unsustainable due to the changing dynamics of the industry. The process was not only time-consuming but also lacked efficiency and consistency. The company was also struggling with the high costs associated with creating new content for each campaign, especially for email campaigns. The need for a more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective content creation process was evident.

International Medical Corps, a first responder organization providing emergency relief across the world, faces a gargantuan task of maintaining a robust and agile supply chain. The organization's efforts require constant replenishment of medical supplies and site equipment, making freight forwarding a vital component. The logistical demands of transporting supplies and equipment to devastated areas often surpass the challenges of most other types of shipping. Infrastructure may be destroyed by war, storms may wash out roads, economic turmoil can limit port access, and internet access may be non-existent or censored. Additionally, the organization faces challenges with customs, as multiple responses occur simultaneously around the world. The organization also has to maintain a steady stream of supplies to prepare for catastrophic or unknown scenarios.

JLab Audio, an award-winning consumer audio brand, faced significant challenges as it experienced a 10x increase in shipment volume from 2012 to 2017. This rapid growth required a tenfold increase in effort to coordinate shipments, consuming valuable time and resources that could have been allocated to strategic initiatives. Additionally, the company's expansion into the competitive retail space necessitated increased coordination among a growing number of stakeholders. Maintaining up-to-date information on shipment status was critical to establishing trust as a reliable vendor. However, working with a traditional freight forwarder exacerbated these challenges, as much of JLab's supply chain was tracked through spreadsheets and email exchanges, rather than real-time updates.

Klean Kanteen, a leading producer of BPA-free, reusable bottles, cups, and canisters, faced significant challenges in managing its supply chain and reducing its carbon footprint. As a certified B-corporation, the company needed accessible data about the environmental impacts of its supply chain. However, traditional freight forwarders provided little visibility into their data, and no estimates of their carbon emissions were available at the time of quote. This lack of transparency led to manual calculations and laborious reconciliation, consuming significant time and resources. The company's logistics manager spent hours each week going back and forth with forwarders and building manual reports, which was inefficient and time-consuming.

Molekule, a San Francisco-based science and clean tech brand, was facing a significant challenge due to its rapid growth and increased demand for its air purifiers. The demand was fueled by factors such as wildfires and the pandemic. The company was struggling to keep up with the surging sales and ensure that their inventory was sufficient to meet the demand. Brad Audiss, a production manager at Molekule, was tasked with ensuring that supply always meets demand, a challenging feat for a fast-growing, high-tech brand working with multiple suppliers across China and the United States. Molekule realized that they needed to restructure their supply chain to meet the growing customer demand. Additionally, the company faced unique business problems—spikes in demand brought by natural disasters.

Outdoor Voices, a rapidly growing outdoor apparel company, faced significant pressure on its logistics team due to its direct-to-consumer sales model through its website and physical stores. The company operates a 100% vertical supply chain, where it acts as the importer and retailer, without the support of channel partners to share delivery responsibilities. This model made their supply chain a critical part of their success. However, the company struggled with maintaining stock, meeting go-to-market dates, and exceeding customer expectations. Additionally, the company needed more granular, timely, and digestible supply chain data to make strategic planning decisions and drive down supply chain costs.

Qardio, a San Francisco-based cardiovascular monitoring company, was facing significant challenges in managing its supply chain. As a small brand, Qardio struggled to find a freight forwarder who could provide the level of customer service they required. The lack of visibility into the movement of their shipments was a major concern. Their logistics team was spending a significant amount of time tracking shipments, which was not only time-consuming but also costly. This was hindering their operational efficiency and preventing them from focusing on improving their operations. The company was also experiencing frequent FDA-related delays, which were negatively impacting their business growth.