About
Hi, I'm Ollie Glass – founder of Scale Direction.
I help growing startups get clarity on their core metrics so they can scale confidently, present investor-ready reporting, and operate with data they can trust.
For the past 10+ years, I've worked as a lead machine learning and data engineer across some of Europe's most innovative startups and scale-ups. I've built and led data platforms for food delivery brands, e-commerce manufacturers, SaaS tools, EV charging platforms, and venture-backed marketplaces – typically stepping in as an interim Head of Data or lead data engineer when the team needed clarity fast.
In short: I've seen what messy data looks like, and I've helped teams solve this dozens of times.
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.
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.