FOR OPERATING PARTNERS · AI DILIGENCE + VALUE CREATION
AI diligence and value creation advisory for PE and VC operating partners. Portco capability assessments, gap-to-value reports, and repeatable playbooks — built to stay in through implementation, not just deliver the assessment.
The pattern
60% of portcos experimenting. 5% scaled to production. The gap isn't AI capability — it's operator-grade implementation alongside the team.
You hired McKinsey for AI strategy. Eight weeks and $1.2M later, you got a 180-slide deck recommending you hire a data team. Not wrong. Not useful either. The portco still has no AI in production.
Every operating partner you talk to has the same complaint: lots of AI advice, very little AI execution. What a target claims about their AI capabilities and what they actually possess are dramatically different — and you don't have the internal expertise to close that gap fast.
Any AI bet as a value creation driver needs a validated use case with a measurable line of sight to EBITDA in six months or less. Right now you can't tell which portcos have that and which are running pilots that will never graduate.
What I do with operating partners
In 48 hours per portco: architecture review, production log analysis, team capability read, and a gap-to-value report. Not a 180-slide deck recommending you hire a data team. A ranked list of AI bets by EBITDA line of sight, built on what's real — not what was in the pitch.
60% of portcos are experimenting with AI. Only around 5% have scaled to production. The gap isn't strategy — it's the difference between a validated use case with a 6-month EBITDA line of sight and a pilot that showed promise. I build the factual foundation for the value creation plan before you commit.
A standalone consultant optimizes for one company. An advisor who has worked across multiple portcos for the same fund builds the pattern recognition that compounds. Ranked diagnostics, shared infrastructure recommendations, and implementation that stays to ship — not just to assess.
From the field
PE portfolio diligence · Q3 2025
Problem
Operating partner needed AI maturity read across 3 portcos before writing a value creation plan. No internal AI expertise to separate real capability from pitch-deck narrative.
Outcome
One portco had real AI and a credible roadmap. Two had $600K of technical debt to unwind. The value creation plan was built on reality, not the pitch.
PE-backed SaaS portco · Q4 2025
Problem
Fund committed to AI value creation across the portfolio. Portco had an AI roadmap but no eval infrastructure, no inference cost model, and no measurable EBITDA line of sight from any active initiative.
Outcome
Rebuilt the roadmap around 2 validated use cases with traceable EBITDA impact. Stayed in to ship the first use case. Delivered the 100-day plan artifact the fund needed for LP reporting.
Series B fintech · Q4 2025
Problem
Inference costs tripled month-over-month. No audit trail mapping model spend to features. Board was asking CFO-level questions the team couldn't answer.
Outcome
Inference cost reduced 58% while throughput increased. First time the team could answer a board question about cost-per-transaction — direct input into the fund's EBITDA narrative.
Selective by necessity — I work with a few teams at a time. If there's fit, we move fast — the 100-day plan doesn't wait.