Integral is an enterprise platform for transforming consumer data into actionable consumer insights. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Integral co-founder and CEO Shubh Sinha to learn more about the company.
Shubh Sinha’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Sinha said:
“Before founding Integral, I led product management at LiveRamp, focusing on identity resolution and measurement. There, I developed data analysis products for pharmaceutical, insurance, and digital health companies, specializing in breaking down data silos while maintaining privacy compliance. This experience revealed a critical gap in the market: organizations needed a faster, more reliable way to work with sensitive data at scale.”
“My goal is to ensure consumers are treated respectfully and receive tailored products and services at scale. That means making it faster and more efficient to de-identify data so it can be used to better understand consumers and deliver experiences. Often, this involves managing 20+ data sources—data that is often unstructured and varies in quality. By building a rich “centralized source of truth” that protects consumer privacy while maintaining data quality and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, our work at Integral empowers companies to create impactful products and services.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for Integral come together? Sinha shared:
“In healthcare alone, there is a massive opportunity to deliver consumer insights with unprecedented speed. So much multi-dimensional data is pouring into the industry, from patient-generated activity data captured from wearables to care delivery data from hospitals and more. This explosion of data could serve as the foundation for improved healthcare outcomes for all—but only if we can leverage these insights quickly and in ways that protect consumer privacy while maintaining and strengthening data quality.”
“Data de-identification is an art. When it’s not performed correctly, it can waste valuable time. In fact, ensuring compliance while integrating complex datasets from multiple sources can take 10-12 weeks. It’s also a process that is highly error prone, in part because it’s also highly manual.”
“I wanted to create a solution that would streamline this process with advanced automation for de-identifying data and a native analytics suite that would empower organizations to make sense of that data, all in one place. With Integral, we’ve created that one-stop shop for healthcare data compliance and analytics.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Sinha reflected:
“We launched Integral in 2022, and I’d say my favorite memory is reaching the point where we could assess all of the quality and compliance challenges that a dataset might present within 24 hours. That type of speed was previously unheard of in our industry, and it is dramatically transforming the way healthcare and life sciences companies work, including how they leverage data for research.”
“The reactions we received from potential customers were pretty incredible. We were doing something no one had been able to achieve in the data privacy realm. It’s still what sets us apart.”
“Imagine buying a house without knowing what renovations are possible or even the final cost. That’s how healthcare and life sciences companies have been forced to purchase regulated consumer data: committing millions before understanding what’s possible for their use cases. At Integral, we’re fixing this broken model by letting data teams thoroughly evaluate datasets before purchase.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What makes Integral different? Sinha affirmed:
“What makes Integral different is time to value, meaning the speed with which we empower organizations to leverage privacy-sensitive, regulated data for commercial use cases. We’re on a mission to enable companies to safely leverage regulated data with unprecedented efficiency and maximize the potential of their regulated consumer data while navigating the complexities of compliance.”
“While many of our use cases apply to healthcare, the value of what we do isn’t limited to healthcare. Our solutions give organizations across industries a basis for quickly purchasing regulated data, deploying it and using that data to experiment and innovate, all while maintaining privacy and compliance. This also sets the stage for unique data partnerships that allow organizations to collaborate without sacrificing privacy—and that’s a game changer for innovation.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work and how did you overcome those challenges? Sinha acknowledged:
“In creating a novel solution, one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is in being the ‘new kid on the block.’ Would companies trust that our product would meet their needs in ways that companies that have been around for 20 to 30 years still are unable to achieve? Could we get potential customers to buy into the future by investing in a solution they didn’t realize they needed?”
“It’s taken a lot of education and thoughtful relationship building to get people to buy into this vision. We’re seeing the results of those efforts now with companies like PurpleLab, Karlsgate, Skyflow and STATinMED. As these use cases demonstrate what’s possible, we’re gaining social currency. That’s taking conversations with prospects to the next level. Nothing compares to proven results.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Sinha noted:
“Since our launch in 2022, we’ve dramatically scaled our capabilities. What started as a vision to transform data compliance has evolved into a robust platform processing millions of sensitive records. Our technology now enables companies to analyze and de-identify complex datasets in hours rather than months, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and compliance. This unprecedented speed and scale have attracted partnerships with industry leaders across healthcare, pharma, and technology sectors.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Sinha cited:
“One of our proudest achievements has been the rapid adoption of our platform by industry leaders. We’ve established partnerships with companies like LiveRamp, PurpleLab, Datavant, Skyflow, and others – organizations known for their rigorous standards in data privacy and compliance. Each successful implementation has validated our approach and demonstrated the transformative impact of reducing data compliance workflows from months to hours.”
“We’re also seeing recognition for our innovative approach to turning data challenges into opportunities. By enabling organizations to thoroughly evaluate datasets before purchase – examining quality, testing coverage, and understanding compliance requirements – we’re fundamentally changing how companies work with regulated data. This shift from months-long consulting engagements to automated, real-time compliance is setting a new industry standard.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Sinha about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“One of our success stories is with PurpleLab, a leading provider of healthcare data analytics through its HealthNexus platform. Integral’s continuous monitoring solution enables PurpleLab’s data scientists to create custom, fit-for-purpose datasets from sensitive data, all while maintaining real-time compliance. This moved compliance from a point-in-time effort to an ongoing, real-time process, which gives PurpleLab the flexibility to add new data sources without concerns around maintaining data privacy and adhering to regulatory requirements. As their chief technology officer attests, our partnership with PurpleLab has been transformative in enabling rapid innovation while ensuring rigorous compliance.”
Future Goals
What are some of Integral’s future company goals? Sinha concluded:
“Healthcare generates 30% of all global data, with the average patient journey touching 40+ data points, yet organizations typically spend 10-12 weeks or more with consultants just to ensure data compliance. This leads to massive delays and compromised data quality. Our focus is on continuing to revolutionize regulated data management and building upon our success so that everyone gains access to better care and better health.”
“Beyond this, our goal is to expand beyond healthcare to make a transformative impact for other industries. In our view, the companies that are moving quickly are taking an enterprise-wide strategy to intertwine data and compliance by implementing automated privacy tools but choosing them carefully. They’re also building flexible governance frameworks that can adapt quickly, backed by automated compliance solutions that continuously look for data compliance challenges. By staying true to our mission and acting with intention, we can accelerate innovation across industries and make a lasting impact for years to come.”
