About
Hi, I'm Ollie Glass - founder of Scale Direction.
After 10+ years working as a lead data engineer and interim Head of Data at some of Europe's fastest-growing startups, I saw the same pattern over and over:
- Founders struggling with messy spreadsheets and conflicting metrics.
- Data projects dragging on for months with contractors or in-house hires.
- Teams needing to rebuild systems every time the business scaled - just when you need to move faster than ever.
I built Scale Direction to change that.
We combine battle-tested engineering, strategic insight, and a repeatable delivery process to help early-stage startups get investor-grade metrics fast and reliably.
My Experience Spans
- Building investor-grade reporting with dbt, Redshift, Looker, BigQuery, and Snowflake
- Running analytics and experimentation for product and growth teams
- Designing modular data models and real-time pipelines
- Coaching and onboarding internal data hires after the build phase
- Leading cross-functional teams across ML, data engineering, BI, and product
Track Record
I've worked with startups like Peanut, Trouva, Allplants, and Kano, as well as large brands through Valtech and Unilever. I've also helped launch new data platforms at pre-seed companies and built systems that now process hundreds of millions of events per day.
At Scale Direction, my goal is to bring that experience to early-stage teams who don't yet need a full-time Head of Data, but do need investor-grade metrics, clear dashboards, and a reliable foundation they can build on.
"Ollie re-platformed our legacy data pipeline and paired deep technical skill with clear business communication. I'd hire him again."
What I Believe
Founders shouldn't waste time DIY-ing metrics in spreadsheets.
Your time is better spent on product, customers, strategy and growth.
You need data you can trust.
If it's not accurate and verifiable, no one will reply on it. That can break trust with your team and investors.
Dashboards should tell you what's happening - fast.
You shouldn't have to guess how the business is performing or chase your team for reports. You should be able to see the numbers you need, when you need them.
Your systems should scale with you.
You shouldn't have to rebuild your data platform every time you raise, grow, or answer new investor questions. Adding new metrics should be simple as you scale.
You don't need a data team for core reporting.
You just need the right foundation.