# Hatem Sellami

> Hatem Sellami is the Atlanta-based Tunisian co-founder and CEO of Cognira, which develops AI software for retail promotion planning and optimization. A Georgia Tech graduate with four degrees, he previously led Retek Labs and co-founded Predictix. His career also includes leadership at Tunisian American Young Professionals and an Endeavor entrepreneurial connection spanning Atlanta and Tunisia.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Cognira
- **Organizations:** Cognira, RetSci, Predictix, Retek, Tunisian American Young Professionals, Endeavor, Tunisian American Enterprise Fund
- **Nationality:** Tunisian
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, Georgia Institute of Technology, Master’s degree, Georgia Institute of Technology, PhD in Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, MBA, Georgia Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Earned four degrees at Georgia Tech, including a PhD and MBA., Led Retek Labs before co-founding Predictix., Co-founded Cognira in 2015.

## Career timeline

- **1984** — Moved to France for higher mathematics studies.
- **1986** — Began undergraduate studies at Georgia Tech in March.
- **1996** — Completed an MBA and served as Tunisia’s Olympic attaché at the Atlanta Games.
- **1997–2005** — Worked at Retek in forecasting, consulting, product management, and ultimately leadership of Retek Labs.
- **2005** — Co-founded Predictix.
- **2011–2013** — Chaired the board of Tunisian American Young Professionals.
- **2015** — Co-founded Cognira in Atlanta.
- **2016** — Infor acquired Predictix in June, after Sellami had founded Cognira.
- **2017** — Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur alongside Bahadir Ustaoglu in September, with support from Atlanta and Tunisia.

## Achievements

- Earned four degrees at Georgia Tech, including a PhD and MBA.
- Led Retek Labs before co-founding Predictix.
- Co-founded Cognira in 2015.
- Cognira was Endeavor’s first joint office company, supported by Atlanta and Tunisia in 2017.
- Cognira reported 166% annual recurring revenue growth and 53% workforce growth in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Cognira described Cora, its AI agent within PromoAI, supporting plain-language questions, scenario exploration, and promotion drafts for human review (July 15).
- **2026-07** — Brookshire Brothers completed its PromoAI implementation (July 8).
- **2025-10** — Weis Markets selected PromoAI for promotion planning across 200 stores and digital channels (October 6).
- **2025-04** — Appeared in an Express FM interview about Cognira and promotion digitalization (April 28).
- **2024-12** — Cognira announced that Schnucks selected PromoAI for its 114-store business (December 10).

## Links

- Website: https://cognira.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hatemsellami

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hatem-sellami
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26