As traditional BI tools grow increasingly complex and new entrants struggle to deliver meaningful impact, DeepChatBI founder Alex Tang is leading a “global, high-execution” team to fundamentally rethink how data is processed, queried, and understood. His goal? To build the next generation of BI—powered by AI, and designed for the future.

In a recent episode of the podcast Cyber Island, Alex shared his unconventional journey from geology to computer science, spanning four master’s degrees and two PhDs. He also unpacked the product vision behind DeepChatBI and offered a glimpse into his personal philosophy of “200% execution.”

From Geology to AI: The Journey of a Technical Idealist

Alex didn’t begin his career in computer science. He studied geology for both his bachelor’s and first master’s degrees before transitioning into tech, working as a data engineer at top Chinese tech companies including Meituan, TikTok, and Xiaohongshu.

As he tells it, every academic and career step—from cross-discipline study to dual PhDs in management and computer science—has served a singular purpose:

“I want to build a global company that solves the inefficiencies of data analysis—and take it to IPO within four years.”

What Is the “Next Generation BI System”?

In the interview, Alex describes DeepChatBI as a full-stack, AI-driven data analysis system—not just a dashboard tool or a SQL assistant.

What sets it apart from typical AI+BI solutions is its focus on intelligent infrastructure, including:

• Automated data cleaning and modeling

• Semantic layer construction and metric attribution

• End-to-end agent collaboration from raw data to strategic recommendation

Alex likens the system to “autonomous driving for data,” with a goal of reaching Level 5 autonomy in enterprise analytics.

Beyond Demos: From Showcases to Deployable Intelligence

Many AI BI tools today showcase impressive demos—“ask a question, get a chart”—but Alex points out the real challenge lies in enterprise deployment.

“The question isn’t ‘can you chat with your data,’ but ‘can AI walk the entire data pipeline for you.’”

DeepChatBI is designed to tackle the most painful parts of BI workflows:

cleaning hundreds of unstructured tables, standardizing business metrics, identifying conflicting definitions, and pushing insights proactively—using AI, not manual labor.

Global Team, Shared Vision: A Mission-Driven Startup Without Borders

Founded in March 2025 in the U.S., DeepChatBI has rapidly grown into a 20+ person remote team across the U.S., India, Europe, and Australia.

More impressively, the team has built all of this without external funding or salaries in the early phase.

Alex attributes this momentum to a shared vision and transparent equity model:

“Everyone is a co-founder, not an employee. We align on mission and ownership—and we move fast.”

With daily global stand-ups and weekly syncs, the team follows a “no overnight problems” culture, and Alex views speed as the most critical moat in the AI BI space.“

Not Raising Yet” Isn’t Conservative—It’s Product Discipline

When asked about fundraising, Alex was direct:

“Funding is a tool, not a goal.”

Despite receiving inbound interest from dozens of top-tier VCs in the U.S. and China, Alex has delayed all meetings until late July to focus on building a product that truly delivers value.

Today, DeepChatBI already has two paying clients and is rapidly iterating on deployment and private hosting features to serve mid- to large-sized enterprises better.

“If I Decide to Do Something, I Go All In”

As the interview drew to a close, Alex shared the mindset that drives him:

“If I decide to do something, I’ll give 200% to make it happen. Even if I fail, I’ll have no regrets.”

For Alex, the real risk isn’t failure—it’s never having started.

He believes that entrepreneurship is about pushing the limits of what’s possible with technology, even if the change starts small.

“I want to push the data industry forward, even if just by an inch. If AI can make work more efficient for many, then we’ve already made a difference.”

DeepChatBI is continuing to build toward that vision—redefining how organizations interact with data, from infrastructure to insights. Stay tuned as we share our journey in building the next generation of BI.