Gareth Williams founded YellowDog in 2015. The Bristol-based technology company operates a multi-cloud management solution that identifies the best source of compute for every workload. The software uses predictive scheduling and orchestration to determine, in real-time, what compute is available and which job it suits to make sure that deadlines and budgets are met.
On Tuesday, YellowDog announced a new partnership with Storm FX, a renowned provider of technology solutions to the Media & Entertainment and Visualisation Industries. Storm FX works with some significant players in the industry, such as ILM, Pixar, Flying Bark, Weta Digital, Animal Logic and Luma Pictures, to name a few.
We speak to Gareth Williams, Founder and CEO of Yellowdog, who tells us about the business, its challenges and successes and their future growth.
What was your vision when founding YellowDog?
When I founded YellowDog I wanted to be able to harness all the underutilised computing power in the world and make it available for people doing compute-hungry tasks like rendering CGI or running risk processes in banks.
Our vision has evolved since then and we now want to help people, businesses and technology reach their full potential through intelligently orchestrating the world’s computing power.
Did you face any challenges along the way?
Absolutely there are challenges; starting something is hard. Finding the right people, finding your first believers, getting investment, not running out of cash, beating the competition… these are all challenges that you face.
Do you have any advice for someone launching a technology start-up?
If there were two pieces of advice I would give they are: don’t give up and make sure you have support around you (family, friends, other founders).
What success has YellowDog seen recently?
This year we’re very pleased to be gaining traction in life sciences and continuing to win new business despite COVID-19. It’s a massive testament to the team we have that we’re able to do this during lockdown.
What are your views on the new partnership with Storm FX?
We’re based in the UK so having a local channel partner in Australia and New Zealand is absolutely critical to our success there. Strom FX are a great, and trusted, member of the community in that part of the world so we’re very pleased they wanted to partner with us to sell our solution to their clients.
What’s next for YellowDog?
We’re looking to continue to grow and help more people, businesses and technology reach their full potential. This will come from more sales into new geographies and sectors. Partnerships with companies like Storm FX are a key part of this strategy.
