Most businesses talk about digital transformation as if it’s something that happens in a server room. Francis Chow knows better. After two decades working across cloud, AI, and edge computing, he has built something different: an edge business that actually connects how things work in the real world with the digital transformation principles that worked well in IT. The result? Scaling from zero to over $100 million in revenue by solving problems where physical operations meet digital intelligence.
Understand the AI/IT/OT Convergence
Here’s how operations used to work: factories ran on one set of systems, IT departments managed another, and nobody talked to each other much. That’s changing fast. “OT systems generate the data, IT systems store and process it, and AI adds the insight,” Chow explains. OT means Operational Technology, the systems that actually run business operations at the edge. But knowing that isn’t enough. The money comes from making these three pieces work together. Chow puts it simply: “The real opportunity lies in connecting these three worlds to solve real problems at the edge, such as predictive maintenance, real-time quality control, or autonomous operations.” These problems cost companies serious money. A factory line going down unexpectedly can lose millions in a day. Being able to predict and prevent that? That’s worth paying for.
Start with a Real Use Case
New technology attracts a lot of noise. Everyone wants to talk about what’s possible instead of what actually needs fixing. He takes a different path. “Success starts with a clear, high-value use case. We shouldn’t chase the hype,” he says. His team works directly with customers and partners to figure out where things are breaking down. The best opportunities have numbers attached. Can you shorten time to revenue? Cut down unplanned downtime? Make equipment run better? “These use cases become the foundation for scalable products that deliver measurable return on investment,” Chow notes. Without a clear ROI, even brilliant technology stays on the shelf. Companies need to see the business case, not just the technical specs.
Build a Repeatable and Scalable Architecture
Scaling gets messy fast if you’re rebuilding everything for each new customer or opportunity. He learned this the hard way. “You can’t scale chaos,” he points out. The fix? Build a platform that works in wildly different places without starting from scratch each time. Think about the range: factories, oil rigs, vehicles, anywhere operations happen and data gets generated. The same core system needs to handle all of it. “When you need new functionality, you don’t build a new system; you build new applications on the same platform,” Chow explains. That architecture decision makes the difference between a business that scales and one that gets stuck customizing forever. There’s another piece that matters. “AI is embedded, not bolted on.” Too many companies treat AI as an add-on feature. Building it into the foundation from day one changes everything about what you can do later.
Getting to $100 million takes more than smart engineers. Chow’s background spans product, engineering, strategy, operations, and go-to-market across both start-up and established teams in global enterprises. All that experience shapes how he thinks about growth. “Building an edge business from $0 to over $100M isn’t about tech alone. It’s also about having the right processes and the right team to solve real problems, at scale, with the right ecosystem.” Nobody builds this stuff alone. Partners matter. Customers matter. Even competitors play a role in creating the infrastructure that makes edge computing valuable. The companies figuring this out now won’t just use better technology. They’ll help write the rules for how operations work going forward. “The convergence of AI, IT, and OT is just the beginning, and the companies that embrace it early will lead the next wave of innovation and success,” Chow says. The question isn’t whether this convergence happens. It’s whether your company will be leading it or catching up to it.
Connect with Francis Chow on LinkedIn to explore his approach to scaling edge businesses.
