Every consultancy is promising transformation. Most of them have never built a product, run a company, or had their own money on the line. I have. I built and sold a technology business, I manage my own investment fund using AI systems I built myself, and I'll give you an honest answer — even when that answer is "not yet."
Let's talkI built a technology company from nothing — credit cards covering payroll in the early days — and with a great team, grew it to over 500 enterprise clients and led it through to acquisition. I've sat across the table from investors, managed boards, raised institutional funding, and made every mistake a founder can make.
Today I manage a private investment fund, running complex options strategies across multiple markets. The analytics, the risk management, the AI agents that process market data — I built all of it. When I tell you what AI can and can't do, it's because I depend on it every day with real capital at risk. That changes how you think about reliability, and it changes the advice I give.
I also invested several years into a blockchain venture that didn't find its market. After several pivots — from nonprofit transparency tooling to real-world asset tokenisation to customer loyalty — the business didn't find sustainable product-market fit. I closed it down, took the lessons, and moved on. That experience sharpened my instinct for when something isn't working.
Every vendor demo looks impressive. But you've been around long enough to know that demos and production are different things entirely. You need someone who builds production AI systems — not someone who's read about them — to sit beside you and separate the genuine opportunities from the expensive distractions.
Your competitors are talking about AI. Your board is asking questions. Your team is overwhelmed. You don't need another strategy deck — you need someone who can quickly assess what's relevant to your specific business and what isn't worth your time right now.
You invested in AI tools, maybe hired a consultant, and the results were underwhelming. The problem usually isn't the technology — it's that nobody understood your business well enough to apply it properly. I start with your operations, not with AI.
Your developers are building agent systems, automation, or AI-powered features and they've hit architectural decisions they're not sure about. I build multi-agent systems that run in production every day. I can review what they've done and tell them what's going to cause problems.
I don't do six-month discovery phases. You'll know what I'm delivering, what it will cost, and when it will be done before we begin.
We talk about what you're dealing with. I'll ask hard questions about your business, your goals, and where AI fits. If I don't think I can help, I'll tell you — and point you in the right direction. No charge for this.
Typically 60–90 days with specific deliverables you've agreed to upfront. An AI readiness review, an implementation roadmap, an architecture assessment, or hands-on building alongside your team. You'll know the cost, the timeline, and exactly what you're getting before we begin.
Some clients want an ongoing relationship for strategic questions and architectural decisions as things evolve. A lightweight retainer, available when you need it.
I've known Steve for years and he's the person I call when I need someone to cut through the noise on technology. When one of my clients was being sold an AI platform by a vendor, Steve came in, evaluated the whole thing independently, and helped us see that they could build what they needed themselves — saving them from a costly subscription they'd never have got out of. He's also been instrumental in helping us explore how AI can scale content and communications work for a UK government client. He doesn't sell you anything — he just tells you what's actually worth doing.
Steve helped me think through the financial planning, the investment case, and the business model for my tutoring company from the ground up. But what really made the difference was his perspective on AI — he helped us build a clear plan for how tutoring businesses can use AI as a genuine advantage rather than be disrupted by it. He's practical, direct, and doesn't waste your time with theory. If you're a founder trying to work out where AI fits in your business, Steve's the person to talk to.
I manage a private investment fund focused on systematic options strategies, supported by AI systems and data infrastructure I've built from the ground up. In parallel, I advise founders and business operators on implementing AI — drawing directly on what I build and depend on every day.
Built a recruitment technology platform from a standing start to over 500 enterprise clients. Bootstrapped the early years, raised institutional investment, managed board governance, and led the company through to acquisition. Fourteen years from first line of code to exit.
Developed a digital asset platform backed by seed investors and grant funding from the Stellar Development Foundation. After several pivots — from nonprofit transparency tooling to real-world asset tokenisation to customer loyalty — the business didn't find sustainable product-market fit. I made the decision to wind it down and apply what I'd learned elsewhere.
The most useful education I've had — I know exactly what building the wrong thing looks like, and I'll spot it in your business faster than you will.
I take on a small number of advisory clients at a time. The first conversation is always free and always honest.
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