One word to describe yourself: Joyful
Alma Mater: University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management, McMaster University, University of Guelph
Fun fact about yourself: I used to competitively play video games.
Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent (and why): Bloor-Yonge Station in Toronto. It is the station where I would always meet my wife when we were dating.
Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent (and why): It is hard to say. I am a sucker for beautiful landscapes and there have been a few routes I have experienced that have been breathtaking. One of the most memorable has been the train from Edinburgh to London along the East Coast of the UK.
Sasha (Peter) Kucharczyk is an entrepreneur from a family of doctors who has chosen to apply his penchant for data and analytics to the world of vehicle health instead of human health. After completing his MBA at the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto) specializing in marketing and strategy, Kucharczyk wanted to work with other entrepreneurs in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. He is always interested in learning about new innovations that use data to make the world a better place or to learn new opinions on how AI may change the world.
Kucharczyk is a data geek with operational know-how. His passion to find ways to change the world led him to co-found Preteckt, an AI technology company that is changing the maintenance of trucks and buses with predictions that prevent breakdowns, enhance technician productivity and make vehicles safer to operate. At Preteckt, he is helping build tools for maintenance personnel to make the best data-based decisions possible through the latest advances in IoT, AI and cloud computing technologies.
Initially, Preteckt developed technology for heavy duty trucks, but then Kucharczyk identified that this technology can also be applied towards transit buses and led the initiative to explore the market potential. Memphis Area Transit Authority was the first to provide an opportunity for Preteckt to try out its product. Kucharczyk then led the successful application for a “Bus Maintenance Challenge” issued by the Transit Tech Labs in co-ordination with the New York MTA.
Seeing success in the transit market, Kucharczyk laid out a strategy to engage with transit agencies across North America. Kucharczyk also holds a Master of Engineering Design with a specialization in product design and machine learning where he did his thesis project on the fleet adoption of electric vehicles. That background allows the entire team to gain additional insights on how to adapt Preteckt technology to electric and hydrogen vehicles.
Since co-founding Preteckt in 2015, Kucharczyk has spearheaded efforts to raise funding from venture capitalists, grow the team from three to 25 and develop the relationships that resulted in Preteckt winning its two largest customers. He developed the business case tool kit to get a return on investment for every fleet. Recently, Kucharczyk navigated the legal needs to incorporate Preteckt in Europe so that it can support transit agencies there as well. Every day Kucharczyk wears a different hat to support Preteckt. Colleagues say in areas where he lacks specific expertise, Kucharczyk is humble and seeks out guidance from a network within the transit and startup community.
Preteckt’s product to assist more than 30 transit agencies around the world would not have occurred without Kucharczyk’s vision and strategic intent to bring technology equity to maintenance innovation.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
Things not going as planned (multiple times). It made me learn how to reflect on different situations and find new opportunities to grow and capitalize on.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The constant need to learn. Almost every week there is a new customer experience to learn from, a new operational hurdle that needs to be tackled or a new skill that needs to be learned in order to successfully execute a project. I find these continuous new learning opportunities to be exciting and engaging.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Prioritization. Helping run a small, but growing, company has me constantly evaluating where my team and I should be spending our time in order to create the biggest impact possible. Sometimes it is not evident what opportunities are the best which makes it difficult to determine what tasks and activities should be prioritized.
Accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
Creating a product that people will not only pay for but will recommend to their friends and colleagues.
Best advice/tip/best practice to share from your area of expertise?
Don't be afraid to fail as failure can provide some of the best learning experiences. Just always remember that when you fail, or things don't go your way, to spend the time to reflect and learn so that you can make better decisions and actions in the future.
