Ignite Startups: How Osama Elkady Is Eliminating ETL and Unlocking Real-Time Insight | Ep168

Osama Elkady is the co-founder and CEO of Incorta, the only open data delivery platform enabling real-time analysis across all systems of record without complex ETL. With nearly two decades at Oracle—where he led innovations in BI, mobile strategy, and enterprise reporting—Osama holds several patents in data architecture and has helped numerous Fortune 100 companies become real-time enterprises. In this episode, he offers deep insights into unlocking the true power of enterprise data, challenging conventional architectures, and leading through radical innovation.In this episode, he discusses how Incorta reimagines data access through direct data mapping, why most ETL is outdated, and how simplicity, cloud-native approaches, and smart hiring fuel innovation. His journey from Oracle to founding Incorta is filled with bold decisions, technical breakthroughs, and a relentless focus on business outcomes.In Today’s Episode We Discuss:00:01 Osama’s journey from Egypt to Oracle02:30 Inventing XML Publisher and shaping Oracle’s BI tools04:45 Why he left Oracle to build Incorta07:30 The broken state of enterprise data and reliance on Excel09:30 What is Direct Data Mapping—and why it matters12:00 Why traditional ETL doesn’t scale in modern systems14:45 How Incorta enables real-time data access from complex systems17:30 ETL vs. ELT vs. Incorta’s streamlined approach20:00 Real-world use cases: Starbucks, Broadcom, and Hormel25:00 Technical challenges in building a new kind of engine27:30 Why cloud storage was the unlock for Incorta’s model30:45 Open standards vs. open source in enterprise data32:00 Key inflection point: launching Incorta’s cloud-native platform33:45 GTM strategy—selling outcomes, not tech36:00 Culture of simplicity: “Think more, code less”40:10 Building talent pipelines through high-leverage internships42:30 Leadership lessons on trust, retention, and team dynamics45:00 The future of data architecture and the rise of lakehouses50:03 Wrap-up and Osama’s vision for innovation without limitsSubscribe on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824Follow Brian Bell on X:https://x.com/brianrbell?lang=enFollow Osama Elkady on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/osamaelkady/Follow Osama Elkady on Twitter:https://x.com/oelkadyVisit Our Website:https://www.teamignite.ventures/👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL 🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast//Our sponsor Byldd⁠ helps non-technical domain-expert founders build and launch tech businesses by providing a complete product team - that's everyone you need from designers to engineers to testers, all the way up to a CTO.We'll ship products while you focus on the other essentials: validation, sales, and distribution. Our portfolio companies have been backed by YC, Google, ERA, and other top-tier investors.Get Started Here: https://tr.ee/bylld