Visualizing solutions
Big data is leading to fast growth for ABQ startup
Athree-year-old Albuquerque startup is helping cities throughout the U.S. and other countries solve major problems with user-friendly data analytics.
The company, RS21, says it’s creating “resilient solutions for the 21st century” by packaging cutting-edge technology into easily understandable, web-based platforms that allow decision-makers to rapidly understand the root causes of issues.
It’s all about seeing the big picture with user-friendly technology, said RS21 President and CEO Charles Rath.
“We’re a data science, visualization company that uses data and highly intuitive platforms to solve complex problems like crime, climate resilience, terrorism and population health problems,” Rath said. “We’re masters at ingesting and making sense of massive amounts of data.”
By creatively bundling those systems in ways that engage and empower users, the company has earned a fast-growing base of clients, including cities, government agencies, and private companies. Since launching in 2014, RS21 has landed more than 30 contracts.
That, in turn, has generated a hiring frenzy that’s grown the company workforce from four last year to 25 now. Another 10 to 15 people will come on board by February, when RS21 plans to move from its current office near Journal Center to a 4,700-square-foot space at the Occidental Life Building Downtown.
The rapid growth means highpaying jobs for talented New Mexicans. About 80 percent of RS21 employees are from here, including three graduates from Central New Mexico Community College’s Deep Dive coding program.
“I’m using web technologies to create interactive data visualization platforms that are easy to digest and accessible from anywhere,” said Deep Dive graduate Skyler Rexroad, 22, who joined RS21 last fall.
It’s also brought locals back from other states, such as Luis Diaz, a 26-year-old University of New Mexico graduate who joined RS21 in August after working as a software developer in California.
“Most software jobs are located in big cities like Denver and Los Angeles, not Albuquerque,” Diaz said. “But RS21 offered me a perfect opportunity to come back home.”
The company, whose founders include Dale Dekker of Dekker/ Perich/Sabatini and Bohannan Huston President Brian Burnett, is helping to harness today’s massive mounds of information for practical use by everyday people to better manage modern problems. That includes efforts to reduce crime in Mexico City, mitigating the urban “heat island” effect in El Paso and improving the U.S. government’s ability to manage threats at airports.
RS21 makes solving such problems almost a Hollywood-like gaming experience.
“We use 3-D visualization for people to zoom in and out of things,” Rath said. “We create visualization platforms that allow humans to rapidly absorb information. It’s like real-life video games on steroids.”