Mining Firms Tackle Brain Drain With New Tech – Hindsite Startup Review

Let’s picture a massive haul truck in a mine. These machines are complex, and keeping them running smoothly needs serious know-how. For years, that knowledge lived in the heads of experienced pros. But what happens when those experts retire?

Right now, mining operations often depend on thick manuals or tribal knowledge. Hoping new team members catch on fast. What if there was a smarter way? A way to capture that veteran expertise and make it easy for anyone to follow?

Turns out, there is. One startup is helping mining firms tackle the brain drain with new tech. They turn complex tasks into simple, step-by-step workflows. Think of it as expert guidance right on your phone. We interviewed HINDSITE to learn how they’re making this happen.

What is Hindsite?

Hindsite is a startup focused on transforming complex tasks into guided workflows, offering a digital solution for industries like mining and advanced manufacturing. Instead of relying on a dusty, sprawling manual, you have a step-by-step guide on your phone based on decades of veteran experience.

The target audience comprises operations teams in mining companies and advanced manufacturing sectors. These sectors face a critical issue: an aging workforce with invaluable knowledge disappearing as experts retire. This loss of expertise often leads to inefficiencies and increased downtime.

The solution? Hindsite captures and converts this knowledge into straightforward, repeatable workflows. This approach ensures new staff can perform tasks accurately and efficiently, minimising errors and unplanned stoppages.

What sets Hindsite apart is its ease of use and accessibility. While traditional methods rely on paper or spreadsheets, Hindsite offers a SaaS platform that enables operations managers to easily create workflows which can be accessed offline via mobile apps. This allows real-time guidance even in locations with limited connectivity. Its efficiency and practicality make it a standout option in a predominantly paper-based industry.

Founders of Hindsite

Liam Scanlan is the COO of HINDSITE, a startup reshaping industries by transforming intricate tasks into guided, step-by-step workflows. Before launching into this venture, Liam served as CFO at Workforce.com, sharpening his skills in strategic operations. But it was his experience at BHP that planted the seeds for HINDSITE. Imagine being a new employee, handed a 300-page manual covered in red dust, and tasked with operating a costly piece of equipment. A challenging start, you’d agree. Liam’s firsthand frustration revealed the need for a streamlined, intuitive approach to capturing veteran expertise.

You might wonder how a single experience could morph into a startup idea. The early days of HINDSITE involved niching down to a specific segment within the mining industry. The focus on midmarket and enterprise companies proved crucial. By honing in, they quickly identified and built product-market fit, setting the stage for what HINDSITE would become.

The founding story is rooted in a problem many industries face: essential knowledge retiring alongside an aging workforce. Liam wanted a way to make veteran guidance as simple as a step-by-step alert on a mobile app. No more 300-page binders. That necessity became the mother of invention for HINDSITE. It’s about making complex processes accessible and user-friendly. Because when seasoned knowledge walks out the door, you need a way to keep the wheels turning smoothly.

Would HINDSITE exist without Liam’s dusty binder encounter? Maybe not. It illustrates how personal frustrations often fuel solutions that serve wider audiences. Liam’s journey from new employee to co-founder underscores the blend of experience and insight that lies at the heart of successful startups.

Interview with Robert Dickson of HINDSITE

We got the chance to sit down with Robert Dickson to understand more about their approach. He gave us the inside scoop on how they are tackling the skills gap in critical industries.

Q: In simple terms, what does HINDSITE do?
A: We turn complicated tasks into straightforward, guided workflows. This helps new team members perform like experienced veterans, reducing mistakes and unexpected downtime.

Q: Who is HINDSITE trying to help? Which industries and roles are you focused on?
A: We’re focused on operations teams in mining companies, advanced manufacturing, and METS – Mining Equipment, Technology and Services.

Q: What is the main problem HINDSITE is solving for these companies?
A: The big issue is the aging workforce. Experienced people with decades of knowledge are retiring, and all that expertise is leaving with them, often locked in their heads.

Q: And how does HINDSITE solve this problem?
A: We help companies capture that critical knowledge and convert it into predictable, repeatable workflows. New staff can then follow these workflows to do their jobs effectively.

Q: Who are the key people behind HINDSITE?
A: The COO is Liam Scanlan. Before HINDSITE, he was CFO at Workforce.com.

Q: What inspired you to start HINDSITE in this particular industry?
A: Liam’s experience at BHP was a major driver. As a new employee, he was faced with a complex task on expensive machinery. His only guide was a massive, dusty manual. It didn’t go well, and that highlighted the problem firsthand.

Q: Can you share anything about the early days of HINDSITE? Were there any key decisions that helped shape the company?
A: Focusing down on mid-market and enterprise companies within a specific segment of mining was crucial. That specialisation really helped us find product-market fit.

Q: How does HINDSITE stand out from other solutions? What makes it different?
A: Interestingly, our biggest competitor is often paper or spreadsheets. We’ve built a SaaS platform that allows operations managers to easily create workflows for frontline staff. These staff can then access these workflows offline using our mobile apps on iOS and Android.

Q: Has HINDSITE received any external funding?
A: No, we haven’t taken external funding yet.

Q: What are HINDSITE’s plans for the future?
A: We’re looking to expand what we offer to continuously support mining, METS, and advanced manufacturing businesses. They’re particularly interested in how we can further improve workflows with predictability, reliability, and safety in mind.

Q: Let’s talk about revenue. Can you give us an idea of HINDSITE’s current revenue and customer base?
A: We’re still in the early stages, but our monthly revenue is $45,000 plus. We serve 20 plus customers on average each month.

Q: What kind of growth is HINDSITE experiencing?
A: For 2025, we’re aiming for 100% year-on-year growth. Previous years have been a bit bumpy as we worked to solidify our product-market fit.

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
A: Really understand the industry you’re going into. And build solutions to solve complex, but maybe not so glamorous, problems.

Feedough’s Take on HINDSITE

HINDSITE seems to be onto something quite significant. The problem they are tackling – loss of expertise in industries with ageing workforces – is real and costly. Their approach of turning tacit knowledge into accessible workflows has clear benefits. For mining and similar sectors still reliant on paper-based processes, this is a definite step forward.

Looking ahead, HINDSITE has the potential to disrupt how training and operations are handled in these industries. The challenge will be in broader adoption. Traditional industries can be slow to change. However, the efficiency gains and reduced downtime they offer should be compelling. Expect to see them focusing on demonstrating tangible ROI and building trust within these sectors. Their no-funding status might mean slower growth, but it also suggests a focus on sustainable, customer-driven expansion. It will be interesting to watch how they scale and adapt their solution to different operational contexts within mining and manufacturing.