From Data Chaos to Clarity: Harsha Mokkarala on the Rise of Agentic AI
- Katie McKenzie
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
Most businesses today are data rich but insight poor. Dashboards multiply, reports pile up, and yet leaders are still left asking: what’s really driving growth?
In a recent podcast interview, Harsha Mokkarala, Founder and CEO of e:cue, breaks down how the next evolution of AI — Agentic AI — is transforming how leaders use data to make faster, smarter decisions.
Drawing on two decades leading data-driven growth at companies like Capital One and 2U, Harsha explains why traditional analytics often fail to deliver clarity, and how agentic AI bridges that gap by acting as a proactive member of your team — not just another tool.
“You oftentimes end up with more dashboards than you have employees,” Harsha notes. “Then it becomes dumpster diving through data to find that little nugget of insight you’re looking for.”
The Problem: Fragmented Data, Missed Opportunities
Businesses spend millions collecting data across CRMs, ad platforms, and analytics tools, but too often that data tells disconnected stories. Leaders drown in dashboards while the real business insights remain buried beneath inconsistent metrics and siloed systems.
The Shift: From Reactive to Agentic AI
Traditional AI models wait for prompts. Agentic AI takes initiative. It connects across data sources, identifies patterns, and proactively surfaces what matters most — whether that’s missed revenue opportunities, customer drop-off points, or smarter budget allocations.
Harsha describes this shift as a move from static dashboards to dynamic, conversation-based analytics — a world where insights flow directly into the tools teams already use, like Slack, so leaders can act on them in real time.
The Impact: Clarity, Confidence, and Speed
By embedding analytics directly into daily workflows, agentic AI eliminates the lag between question and answer. Leaders can now ask, “What’s my best path to another half a million in revenue?” — and get a data-backed answer in minutes, not weeks.
This is the same philosophy that drives e:cue: making elite analysis accessible. By combining the rigor of data science with the accessibility of AI, Cue delivers fast, function-specific insights leaders can trust.
Harsha’s Advice for Founders and Operators
“At the end of the day, it’s about the customer. If you’re not obsessive about their pain points and constantly driving your solution toward solving them, you’re going to miss.”
Key Takeaways
Audit your data chaos. Identify where your information lives and how fragmented it’s become.
Map the customer journey. Align your metrics around what actually drives conversions and retention.
Think agentic. Shift from passively pulling reports to proactively letting your AI analyst surface the signal that matters.
As Harsha puts it, business doesn’t wait — and neither should your data.
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