Patterns, Models, and Rituals: A History of Data-Driven Human Progress

Walter Wartenweiler
Walter Wartenweiler
September 19, 2024

Exponential growth doesn't require fancy features or unnecessary complexity. It requires the right tools, embedded into your product, to implement new models and provide actionable answers at the point of use for every employee or even fully automated decision making. By stacking incremental gains quickly, efficiently, and continuously, your company and your customers’ can achieve exponential gains.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Natural and human cycles and patterns
Analytics
B2B

Introduction

Throughout history, humans have harnessed the power of patterns in their environment, turning them into habits, practices, and social norms. From understanding weather cycles for hunting and gathering to recognizing plant growth patterns for agriculture, these insights evolved into models that shaped entire societies. Over time, we developed tools, processes, and rituals that moved us from basic survival to scientific discovery, technological advancement, and even space exploration.

Yuval Noah Harari's Work: https://ynharari.com/

The Power of S-Curves

Every new discovery or breakthrough follows what we call an S-Curve. At first, progress is slow. Then, as we gather insights and apply them, growth accelerates before eventually plateauing. Once a gain is made, it becomes the foundation for the next wave of growth. This iterative process has driven human progress from the hunter-gatherer era to the brink of interplanetary exploration.

But one S-Curve alone isn't enough. True exponential growth happens when we stack these S-Curves, building on each gain to create momentum.

The S-Curve

Stacked S-Curves

How We Evolved

The human mind excels at identifying patterns. In a "flow state," we naturally adapt to our surroundings, learning and responding without conscious effort. But at some point, we hit a limit—whether it's a scaling problem or the sheer complexity of our tools and practices. When this happens, we team up, specialize, and collaborate, creating the next S-Curve. This evolution has shaped culture, rituals, and institutions throughout history.

Societies evolved from small clans to city-states, from local economies to globally connected markets. Yet, with increasing complexity comes unpredictability. Systems that grow too large often behave in unforeseen ways, and our models of governance and business must continuously adapt to this new reality.

The Business Landscape: Companies and Their Environment

Much like human progress, businesses thrive by understanding patterns—whether it's consumer behavior, market trends, or seasonal cycles. In the world of capitalism, innovation and efficiency are rewarded, while those who fail to adapt are left behind.

The challenge? Complex decision-making. With potentially hundreds of outcomes based on different models, it's nearly impossible for a single employee to always make the right choice. That's where automation comes in—coaching every employee through software, ensuring timely, accurate decisions even before they realize the question needs asking.

At icCube, we believe that analysis—finding patterns in data and building models—is just the starting point. The real value comes from stacking S-Curves quickly and efficiently and deploying actionable insights at the point of use through automation.

The Continuous Race: Adapt or Fall Behind

Standing still means falling behind in a constantly evolving world. Competition never sleeps, the economy fluctuates, and new needs arise while old ones fade. Continuous investment in improvement is essential, particularly in the B2B SaaS space, where the ability to scale and innovate rapidly is critical.

By stacking incremental gains, you generate exponential results. The faster you move from a new idea to deployment, the steeper your exponential growth curve becomes. This is especially true for B2B SaaS platforms, where every improvement can be scaled across hundreds or thousands of end-users, adding unique value for your clients.  

Unlocking the Power of Data Engineering

While the early stages of data analysis rely on human intuition and observation, complexity soon exceeds our capacity to spot patterns. This is where automated analysis—clustering, regression, and machine learning—becomes critical. To fully leverage the potential of your data, you need specialized skills in mathematics, statistics, data cleanup, integration, and modeling.

At icCube, we provide the tools to help you implement these models efficiently and embed them seamlessly into your broader product. Whether you need a Data Science team or help from our Boutique Data Services, we're here to ensure that every S-Curve on your roadmap is short, efficient, and impactful.

Conclusion: Stacking S-Curves for Exponential Growth

Exponential growth doesn't require fancy features or unnecessary complexity. It requires the right tools, embedded into your product, to implement new models and provide actionable insights for every employee. By stacking S-Curves quickly, efficiently, and continuously, your company can achieve exponential gains.

How Can We Help You?

At icCube, we specialize in helping B2B SaaS providers integrate fully embeddable platforms. From data implementation to model building, visualization, and deployment, we ensure that your end-users can act on insights seamlessly. Our experience will guide you to the right solution for your use case—even if that solution isn't us.

Curious about how we can help you succeed? Reach out to us — we'd love to talk!