When Gabriel Gaede sold his manufacturing software company Troika in Brazil, it wasn’t just another tech acquisition. It marked a turning point for the entrepreneur, who’s now exploring new frontiers in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology within the American tech ecosystem.
Gabriel’s passion for technology started early, at 14, he was already writing code and building custom software solutions for his family’s business, laying the foundation for his future endeavors.
His journey in industrial technology began unexpectedly during college when he landed an internship with an Advanced Planning System consulting firm. Within six months, his performance led to a partnership offer, setting the stage for what would become a decade-long expertise in industrial solutions.
“Manufacturing is an incredibly challenging environment, and the workers and managers on the shop floor face daily operational struggles,” Gabriel explains. “I was driven by the idea that digital solutions could make their work easier, optimize processes, reduce costs, and improve product quality.”
This vision led to the creation of Troika, a SaaS-based Manufacturing Execution System that helps industrial clients optimize their shop floor operations through real-time data collection and advanced analytics. The market response was immediate, with Gabriel’s team quadrupling in size within two years, validating both the need for such technology and his approach to addressing manufacturing challenges.
Under Gabriel’s leadership, Troika partnered with industry giants, including Gerdau, Goodyear, ArcelorMittal, and TechnipFMC. The ArcelorMittal implementation alone resulted in a $70 million annual revenue increase for the client, demonstrating the tangible impact of Troika’s technology.
What Gabriel witnessed in the real world, however, was far from the glossy vision of Industry 4.0. While Germany’s blueprint for AI-powered smart factories painted an exciting future, the reality he encountered was much messier. Most companies weren’t even close to ready for such an ambitious transformation.
Visiting client after client, he observed the same pattern: factory floors running on a jumble of legacy systems that barely communicated with each other. Years of valuable production data sat locked away in outdated technology.
This stark contrast between Industry 4.0’s ambitious vision and the practical challenges companies faced shaped Troika’s approach. Instead of pushing for complete overhauls, they built bridges, helping companies modernize incrementally, embracing data-driven operations at their own pace without risking operational continuity.
During Troika’s growth trajectory, Gabriel secured an investment from FAPES, a significant milestone that accelerated the company’s expansion in the Brazilian market. Even before selling Troika, he was pushing boundaries elsewhere by co-founding Indsiders, a joint venture created by Troika in partnership with a software development company. Indsiders served as Troika’s dedicated business unit for technology development, building cloud infrastructure on Microsoft Azure and developing all applications within the solution provided to clients.
Behind his degrees in business administration and industrial engineering, Gabriel developed expertise in everything from process mapping to advanced planning systems and strategic consulting.
The sale of Troika wasn’t just a business transaction; it represented a strategic response to the quickly moving world of manufacturing technology. “Businesses are built to either grow or die,” Gabriel notes. “The only way to ensure longevity is to keep evolving, because the world is in a state of constant transformation.”
Looking ahead, Gabriel sees personalized production as a key trend reshaping manufacturing. “Consumers will no longer be limited to mass-produced goods,” he predicts. “Manufacturers will leverage AI-driven data analytics to anticipate consumer preferences and emerging trends, enabling them to adapt faster and create highly customized products.”
Gabriel’s journey, from streamlining factory floors to exploring the frontiers of AI, tells a larger story about manufacturing’s future. His exit from Troika and pivot toward artificial intelligence suggests something significant: tomorrow’s industrial innovators won’t simply be tech specialists or manufacturing veterans. They’ll be individuals who can bridge both worlds, understanding the physical realities of production as intimately as they grasp emerging technologies. As Gabriel continues his professional evolution, he demonstrates that this combination of practical know-how and cutting-edge innovation is precisely what the industry needs.
