The Journey to Centaur Status From startup struggles to a multi-billion-dollar valuation, Quantexa co-founder Laura Hutton shares the journey of building a successful AI Centaur and breaking barriers in the tech industry

What does it mean for a technology company to reach Centaur status? In an industry driven by rapid growth and fierce competition, hitting $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) is a rare and significant achievement. It marks a company's ability to scale, navigate shifting market demands, and sustain long-term success. But reaching Centaur status is not just about numbers—it's a signal that a company has managed to thrive amid the uncertainties and pressures that define the tech world.

For Laura Hutton, a co-founder of Quantexa, achieving Centaur status has been a journey defined by resilience and significant personal sacrifice. Helping build a business in the male-dominated tech world while also managing family commitments, Hutton says, has been a unique challenge. "It was my own personal headspace that I had to be comfortable with," she shares. "I had to make sure I felt I could give what I wanted to Quantexa while also having the family life I wanted." She credits her success to a relentless focus on long-term goals and the ability to stay adaptable in the face of obstacles. For Hutton, the path to Centaur status has reinforced her belief that success is built on persistence and the courage to forge your own way.

Founded in 2016, Quantexa uses artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to help businesses identify hidden risks and opportunities. Reflecting on her early days as one of the founding partners, Hutton recalls the balancing act that every startup founder faces. "As a young company, it's a delicate balance," she says. "How do we stay ahead of competitors while making sure we don't overstretch? You're only as good as the last thing you delivered."

Quantexa's inception stemmed from a recurring dilemma that many businesses face: the choice between buying rigid off-the-shelf technology or building solutions in-house. The partners' vision was to build a company that would offer an alternative, one that could provide flexibility, transparency, and long-term scalability.

"Openness, transparency, and scalability are key pillars," Hutton explains. "Helping clients become self-sufficient with our technology reduces dependencies on vendors and lowers costs. Getting data ready for AI by unifying it, putting it in context, and enabling better decision making."

The company's focus on customer-centric innovation has been a crucial element of its success. "We've made sure the customer is at the center of our roadmap and innovation," she says. "A mistake some tech companies make is building a cool piece of tech first and then trying to find a problem to solve. We've gone the other way." Hutton believes that this approach has allowed Quantexa to develop solutions that truly meet the needs of its clients. By listening closely to customers and understanding their pain points, the company has been able to create meaningful, scalable solutions that drive lasting value.

Quantexa's ability to scale quickly and move beyond its original niche of anti-financial crime also proved critical in reaching Centaur status. A feat that's even rarer than achieving unicorn status as the company did in 2023. "That was the turning point," Hutton says. "It moved us from being a financial crime vendor in a vertical to a horizontal capability that underpins better decision-making across organisations."

Utilised across more than 100 countries ,Quantexa's Decision Intelligence platform helps organisations across financial services, technology, media and telecoms, and the public sector, operationalise data at scale, solving business challenges and identifying opportunities for growth. For Hutton, to become a co-founder of Quantexa wasn't an easy one. As someone "relatively newly married," the question of whether to start a business while planning a family was a major concern. "The biggest concern for me was, is this the right time? I knew we wanted to have a family," she reveals. "I think this dilemma stops females from committing and going for it. And I suspect it also prevents people from getting funding and getting belief and backing behind them." Her experience of co-founding Quantexa also underscored the gender disparities that persist in the tech industry. Hutton was one of six co-founders, but the only woman. "I'm very aware that I'm one of six founders and the other five are men," she reflects. "Had I not been in a group with men, would my experience have been quite different? I suspect the answer is probably yes."

The entrepreneurial journey for Hutton and her husband Jamie, who is also a co- founder, has also been shaped by their differing approaches to business. "How male entrepreneurs approach something versus female entrepreneurs is really quite different," she notes. Gender inequality in tech, she says, is not just about opportunities but also about the confidence gap that often holds women back. Despite these challenges, Hutton urges women to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

"My overarching message is to commit and go for it," she says. "Yes, you weigh the pros and cons up. You're obviously taking a risk-based approach. But don't let what if hold you back." Hutton emphasises that taking risks and embracing uncertainty are essential components of entrepreneurial success. She believes that women, in particular, should trust their instincts and not be afraid to disrupt industries or break the mold.

The decision to co-found Quantexa was risky. She and her husband, Jamie Hutton - Quantexa's CTO - quit their jobs, went without a salary, and took on a significant mortgage. Yet, Hutton felt confident in the decision. "What's the worst that could happen? It doesn't work. Let's imagine a year in, it didn't work. You can just go and get another job. But in that year, whatever it would have been, we would have learned so much." In her entrepreneurial journey, Hutton has learned the value of embracing what makes her unique. "Our uniqueness is our superpower," she reflects. "At a company level, offering something unique to the market is a valuable advantage." She encourages others to disrupt the status quo. "Often companies look at what other companies are doing and try to emulate it or try to compete with it. If you've got the right offering and you're pitching yourself...being unique, being disruptive and being willing to be disruptive will set you apart."

This theme of uniqueness runs throughout her career. She recalls the challenge of entering investment banking when she was younger and felt her age and appearance were barriers to being taken seriously. "I would bring someone along with me to mimic the people I was presenting to, so they wouldn't be intimidated by a young, blonde, Northern Irish girl who looked like she was 16." Despite this, she quickly proved herself. "Within five minutes, they'd totally forgotten about the person I brought in with me, and they were listening to me. They were engaging with me." Hutton's ability to overcome these initial perceptions highlighted the importance of confidence and expertise in challenging external biases. It reinforced her belief that once people recognise your value, appearance and background become secondary to your abilities and impact.

Now, as Quantexa reaches Centaur status, Hutton reflects on her journey as a female entrepreneur. "I remember when I was 25, I was going into investment banking. I just created a solution that would identify rogue trading, unauthorised trading in organisations." For her, it was a moment of proving herself, but also learning to embrace her distinct perspective. "I believe that being willing to embrace and celebrate your uniqueness, and having confidence in it—whether professionally or personally—is something I only truly learned in my 30s."

In addition to her entrepreneurial journey, Hutton has also seen firsthand the hurdles that many other women face in the workforce. "There's a lot organisations can do," she says when asked about how businesses can better support women. "You've got to have supportive processes as people go off on maternity leave and as they come back to work, offer flexible working." But she acknowledges that the greatest challenge may be internal. "For me, it was more about how I balanced up in my head, my competing priorities," she reflects. Hutton believes that the mental load of balancing work and personal life can often be the hardest part, especially for women who feel the weight of societal expectations. She stresses the importance of self-compassion and understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to managing these pressures.

Navigating those competing demands required the support of her team and flexibility in the workplace. "I actually think my own headspace was the biggest barrier I had to overcome, not necessarily what my organisation could or couldn't do for me." However, she believes that workplace culture does play a crucial role, noting that most companies are aware of the importance of work-life balance and are striving to improve their approach. "Everybody's very aware of it and very cognizant of it, and most good companies are doing a lot to really make that experience better."

When it comes to AI and its future, Hutton sees immense potential but also challenges as organisations look to adopt these techniques. "There's a desire to be able to do it more powerfully, to do it cheaper, and to make it easier." But she notes that AI also raises ethical questions which need to be thought through with the appropriate governance in place to ensure it is used in the right way. "The thing that makes people nervous is the ethical and moral considerations. Are we letting computers make decisions that really humans should be making?" Laura sees significant promise and need in the future of AI, as organisations look to do this more efficiently and effectively. In particular, its ability to augment human decision-making, rather than replace it. "I think people have a unique ability to process information and read body language and relate in a way that AI can't. Maybe with time, but right now human rationale, feeling, emotion and ethics plays a very key role in that."

For Quantexa, this balance between human intelligence and AI is key to their success.

"Our platform automatically unifies the internal and the external data so that that information is fed in a readable, concise, consistent way so that a person can then make the decision they want to make." This seamless integration of data and human insight is what sets Quantexa apart in the competitive AI landscape, empowering businesses to make more informed, confident decisions.

For now, Hutton sees Quantexa continuing to grow and innovate, making strides in AI technology while supporting the people who drive the company forward. As she reflects on her journey, one piece of advice stands out for her: "Commit and go for it. Don't let 'what ifs' hold you back." This mindset has been central to both her personal and professional growth, and she believes it's the kind of bold approach that will continue to drive Quantexa's success in the years to come.