If data is the new oil, then Walmart is sitting on a gusher. Three years ago, the company launched a concerted effort to refine and distribute that rich resource, not just for itself but also for its suppliers. The result — a suite of data insights tools called Walmart Luminate — is now being used regularly by Walmart merchants and suppliers under the banner of the company’s Data Ventures division.
Self-professed data and analytics nerd Mark Hardy helped build, and now heads, Walmart’s Data Ventures group, despite swearing that he would “never work for a Fortune 500 company again” after he developed a taste for startup culture later in his career.
