Proof of Work: AI Value Creation

Doyl Burkett is the founder and Managing Partner of Integrity Growth Partners, an $800M+ AI-enabled growth private equity firm in Los Angeles. Most GPs think about what AI does to the companies they own. Doyl is equally focused on what it does to the firm itself, and he's been building Integrity as an AI-native investor since 2018. In this conversation he argues that AI won't compress pr...

Alex Lirtsman spent ~15 years solving data problems by hand for brands like the NBA, Pfizer, and Sweetgreen — then sold his agency and built CorralData to automate the entire thing. In this episode, he makes the case that most "data-driven" companies are really just "data-adjacent," explains why the metrics leaders celebrate are often vanity metrics, and walks through what it t...

Tom Scott is the CEO of Wrike, a $250M+ ARR intelligent work management platform owned by Symphony Technology Group. Three years into PE ownership and squarely inside what he calls the AI "rebuild moment," Tom is running the experiment in real time — and this conversation is the operating playbook, not the LinkedIn version of it. He walks Stu through what's defensible in enterprise...

Most of the AI conversation in private equity has been about sourcing, diligence, and value creation. But a quieter transformation is underway inside portfolio teams — closing the gap between when something goes wrong at a portfolio company and when the GP actually finds out. Stu is joined by Yann Magnan, CEO and Co-Founder of 73 Strings (AI-powered valuation and monitoring platform, backed by Gol...

Jonathan Hansing is the co-founder of Wallabi, a data, technology, and AI strategy firm helping growth-oriented mid-market companies go AI-native. His team works with CEOs, COOs, and CIOs who feel the pressure to do something with AI — but need a clear path from experimentation to execution. This conversation is full of sharp frameworks and hard-won patterns from the field. You'll Learn: Why...

Justin Massa and Jason Rubinstein are the co-founders of Remix Partners, an AI strategy consultancy that has now run 32+ kickstarts with small and medium-sized businesses across sectors and geographies. Their perspective is grounded in what actually works — not what looks good in a slide deck — and this conversation is full of practical frameworks for PE investors and operators trying to move AI f...

Kris Krisco, Co-founder of Synopsis, is building AI-native data infrastructure designed specifically for the middle market. After scaling and selling a company under private equity, he saw firsthand why most AI initiatives fail — not because of ambition, but because of broken data foundations. In this episode, he explains how to move from fragmented systems and unreliable dashboards to real-time,...

Mollie Amkraut Mueller, Founder of Watch Me AI and former strategist at IDEO and EY, helps non-technical leaders turn AI into a chief of staff, analyst, and revenue engine. In this episode, she breaks down a practical, business-first approach to AI adoption—showing how one recorded meeting can become 10 high-value assets. If you lead a team or operate in the middle market, this is a tactical bluep...

Ryan Kurt, CEO & Founder of The AI Lab, advises middle-market CEOs on how to turn AI from hype into measurable operational advantage. A 13-year veteran of generative AI, he’s helped leaders move beyond “AI strategy decks” to real workflow transformation — including a healthcare network that used computer vision to improve care quality and performance-based pay with 99% accuracy. His perspectiv...

Adam Schwartz, Co-founder and CEO of Parable, explains why most enterprise AI initiatives fail before they ever touch the P&L. Drawing on firsthand work with Fortune 500 and private equity–backed companies, he breaks down how hidden operational inefficiencies block real transformation—and what leaders must measure to unlock durable AI-driven value. You’ll Learn Why executives consistently misj...

Arman Hezarkhani is the Co-founder & Managing Partner of Tenex, an AI transformation firm helping middle-market and growth companies turn AI from hype into real P&L impact. Drawing from experience scaling Google’s cloud AI tools and building venture-backed startups, Arman breaks down how leaders can actually operationalize AI — not just talk about it. This episode is a practical guide for...

Evan Glaser, Founder & CEO of Alongside AI, joins Just Curious to break down how middle-market companies can actually deploy AI, without blowing up risk, compliance, or trust. Drawing on a decade of Fortune 100 experience, Evan explains why governance isn’t a blocker to AI value creation, but the accelerator most operators are missing. You’ll Learn Why AI governance is the fastest way to unloc...

Alex Gruebele and Chandler Gonzalez, co-founders of Tau9 Labs, build custom AI systems that solve the messy, high-value problems generic manufacturing software can’t touch. With roots in robotics, hyperscale software, and logistics, they focus on the workflows where context matters most—quoting, downtime, document analysis, and technician knowledge. Their work shows how applied AI can transform mi...

Felix Rösner, Co-founder of Marble AI, builds AI-driven workflow “clones” that reveal what really happens inside complex enterprise operations. His team helps private equity operators and middle-market leaders uncover hidden inefficiencies, quantify real ROI, and automate with precision instead of guesswork. In this episode, Felix shares why deep context—not tools—is the final moat in AI-enabled o...

Jack Weissenberger, Co-founder & CTO of Ciridae, shares how his team rebuilds core systems and deploys AI agents that remove bottlenecks across finance, operations, and project management. Ciridae works with private-equity-backed companies to identify the real constraints inside a business and replace slow, manual workflows with AI-native software built in days, not months. Jack’s perspective...

Jordan Gurrieri, Co-founder & CEO of BlueLabel, explains how mid-market and enterprise operators can finally escape pilot purgatory and deploy AI systems that scale reliably. Drawing on two decades of automation experience and hundreds of shipped products, he breaks down why AI initiatives fail, how to design for workflow fit from day one, and what it takes to turn tribal knowledge and inconsi...

Brandon Gell, Head of Studio at Every, shares how companies move from AI experimentation to true adoption by creating the “magic moments” that make AI indispensable. Drawing from his experience building and selling companies, shipping AI-native products, and advising leadership teams, Brandon breaks down the practical steps operators and investors can use to turn AI into leverage, productivity, an...

Osman Ghandour, Co-founder & CEO of Soal Labs, helps private equity and private credit firms turn chaotic, spreadsheet-driven processes into unified, AI-powered workflows. Working with middle-market teams drowning in SIMs, fragmented systems, and delayed reporting, he shows how well-designed data foundations and targeted automation can unlock 50% more deal capacity without adding headcount. In...

Csongor Barabasi, CEO of Bonsai Labs, helps private equity–backed B2B software companies ship AI products that generate real EBITDA impact. Working with top global PE funds, his team has repeatedly taken companies from idea to paying customers in as little as a few weeks—often unlocking new ARR and defending market share against AI-native competitors. He explains why most AI efforts stall, how to...

Chris Taylor, Co-founder & CEO of Fractional AI, explains how private equity–backed companies are using applied AI to drive measurable operational impact—not experiments. Drawing from deep experience building AI-native services and deploying production systems across dozens of portcos, Chris breaks down how incumbents can move fast, automate real workflows, and turn AI into cost savings, produ...

Jay Singh, Co-founder & CEO of Casper Studios, breaks down how real organizations—hedge funds, PE-backed companies, and growth-stage startups—are actually deploying AI that gets used. Drawing on deep experience building modular, production-grade systems, he explains why small, workflow-anchored wins consistently outperform AI moonshots and how companies can integrate AI without chaos, panic, o...

Greg Shove, CEO of Section, breaks down why enterprise AI adoption remains stuck in low single digits—and what leaders must do to unlock meaningful productivity gains. With experience building six companies and training global workforces in applied AI, Greg explains how culture, workflows, and leadership behavior—not tools—determine whether AI becomes a competitive advantage. You'll Learn: Wh...

Jeremy Utley, adjunct professor at Stanford and host of Beyond the Prompt, shares how executives and operators can use AI to unlock creativity, accelerate decision-making, and drive transformational change. His work sits at the intersection of innovation, experimentation, and applied AI, making his perspective especially relevant for private equity leaders and middle-market teams navigating rapid...

Justin Massa, Partner & Co-Founder of Remix Partners, helps SMB and mid-market teams translate rapidly evolving AI capabilities into practical workflows that unlock real business value. His perspective matters because he has spent a decade guiding leaders through emerging technology waves and building repeatable frameworks that help organizations identify, experiment with, and operationalize A...

Amrit Saxena, CEO of SaxeCap, shares how he and his team have led more than 100 AI transformations and advised over 40 private equity funds on using AI to expand margins, accelerate growth, and reshape value creation. His perspective matters because SaxeCap has pioneered AI-levered buyouts and proven repeatable frameworks for turning workflow inefficiencies and data assets into enterprise value. I...