Just Curious: Applied AI for Value Creation

Stuart Willson

Just Curious is the podcast of Pluris, a platform connecting investors and operators with the world’s leading applied AI experts. Each episode turns AI from buzzword to bottom line through sharp case studies and practical conversations. We explore how AI is used to grow revenue, expand margins, improve operations, and create measurable value inside real businesses.Learn more at checkpluris.com

  1. APR 20

    Yann Magnan & Joe Zein — 73 Strings & Soal Labs | AI & Portfolio Monitoring in Private Equity

    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 Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Fidelity International, Golub, and Hamilton Lane), and Joe Zein, Co-Founder of Soal Labs (custom AI infrastructure for PE and private credit). One builds the platform. One builds the custom architecture that sits around it. Together they lay out why portfolio monitoring is uniquely hard to automate, and what operators should actually do next. You'll Learn: Why the real bottleneck in portfolio monitoring is infrastructure, not cadence — and why LP demand for weekly/daily reporting is about to force the issueWhat a governed data model actually requires (auditability, versioning, rules, entity resolution) and how it differs from a pile of Excel filesWhy private capital needs 100% accuracy, not 99.5%, and what that means for how LLMs get deployedWhen lighter, cheaper models beat frontier LLMs — and the case for combining ML, NLP and LLMs inside a single ingestion pipelineWhy "vibecoded" portfolio monitoring tools fail the moment they touch real LP reporting — and how to think about buy vs. buildThe entity-resolution problem (the same company named three different ways across 73 Strings, Salesforce, and your file system) and how to solve itWhat changes in 18 months: daily mark-to-market, AI-surfaced alerts in your inbox, and the prerequisite data foundation that makes it possibleChapters:  00:00 – Intro & the 60-day information gap  02:33 – Why monthly monitoring is brutal: data, process, bandwidth  06:10 – The real bottleneck at the GP: how reports actually get assembled  09:20 – Best and worst case timelines for a quarterly close  10:44 – Is the problem cadence, or infrastructure?  13:40 – Signals: what shows up before EBITDA moves  18:57 – New data sources, covenants, and the credit boom  21:31 – Why "vibecoded" monitoring tools fail  25:20 – The 100% accuracy problem in private capital  26:55 – What a robust data model actually looks like  29:45 – Moving from file systems to governed structured data  35:49 – Entity resolution across 73 Strings, Salesforce, and the file system  37:00 – Light vs. frontier LLMs: which do you actually need?  40:17 – Confidentiality, enterprise plans, and the open-source option  43:59 – What most people miss about AI and portfolio monitoring  46:29 – Portfolio monitoring in 18 months  49:35 – One thing to start doing right now 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3OlTNvh2FGlE4VJyCrMJVE 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JustCuriousAI 🔗 More Expert More interviews: https://checkpluris.com/expert-interviews Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    47 min

  2. MAR 24

    Jonathan Hansing — Wallabi | How to Go AI-Native: The J-Curve, 10,000 Prompts, and What "Sprinkling AI" Really Signals

    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 "sprinkling AI" is simultaneously a signal of opportunity and a warning sign — and how to tell the differenceHow to assess whether a leadership team actually has the appetite for real AI transformation (not just the desire for it)What the J-curve of technology adoption means for AI specifically — and why Jonathan believes companies have about two years to get on the right side of itThe difference between a company that uses AI and one that is genuinely AI-native — and the single most important shift in mindset that separates themA detailed case study: how a media and events company's request for an email automation workflow revealed — layer by layer — a need for full data architecture overhaul, delivered in 8 weeks Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 00:37 – What Jonathan hopes listeners take away: 10,000 prompts is the new 10,000 hours 02:16 – Who is Jonathan Hansing / what is Wallabi 04:00 – The Wallabi platform: forward-deployed coaches backed by AI 06:30 – A machine learning case study: 18-month problem solved in a week 07:03 – The journey: West Point → Army → Narrative Science → Salesforce → Wallabi 10:08 – "Sprinkling AI": green flag and red flag 12:35 – How Wallabi assesses appetite: the 2-week sprint approach 17:03 – Data philosophy: use case first, architecture second 18:20 – What's happening beneath the surface for pressured CEOs 20:48 – The J-curve: from 20 years to 2 years 25:03 – Dual Transformation: managing two change curves at once 25:49 – AI-native vs. companies that use AI 28:00 – Case study: media & events company — the layered problem 33:09 – What they built on top: Snowflake Intelligence, Tableau, reverse ETL 34:15 – Claude Code and context management: shared learning across repos 36:04 – The ROI of AI is the ROI of WiFi 38:09 – The bifurcation: who becomes unstoppable vs. who plateaus 41:03 – One thing to remember: 10,000 prompts is the new 10,000 hours 🔗 Connect with Jonathan Hansing: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhansing 🔗 Explore Wallabi: https://www.wallabi.ai 🔗 Explore more interviews: https://checkpluris.com/expert-interviews Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    36 min

  3. MAR 9

    Justin Massa & Jason Rubinstein - Remix Partners | How to Operationalize AI: 32 Kickstarts, One Consistent Pattern

    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 from an experiment into the business. You'll Learn: Why executive engagement is the single non-negotiable success factor in any AI rollout, and what it actually looks like in practiceThe difference between augment and automate — and why 95% of consulting firms stop at automation when the real leverage is in augmentationHow to use a three-tier deployment framework (Experiment / Pilot / Implement) to prioritize where AI goes next, and why you need to revisit it every quarterWhat "agent-legible" means — restructuring business information so agents can navigate it efficiently — and a simple mental model for where to startA detailed manufacturing case study: how a 70-year-old custom parts company cut its RFQ turnaround time nearly in half using a Claude Code workbench built in 3.5 weeksChapters:  00:00 – Intro 00:33 – Welcome & what Justin and Jason hope listeners take away 01:41 – Who are Justin & Jason / Remix Partners origin 03:19 – Jason's background and why they're doing this together 04:36 – Reflecting on the past year: what changed in the market 07:21 – What's driving the shift in appetite for AI 11:50 – Going wide vs. going deep on AI opportunities 12:55 – Data on AI adoption: where companies actually are 14:42 – Why small businesses are now advantaged over enterprise 15:39 – Operationalizing AI: the Remix kickstart approach 18:21 – Executive engagement as the #1 success factor 19:13 – Show and tell culture: banning secret cyborgs 21:33 – How the approach scales from SMBs to Fortune 25 23:56 – The leader's mandate: making time for AI 25:03 – What went wrong with other consultants 26:48 – The augment vs. automate framework 28:07 – Getting from automation to augmentation 30:33 – The jagged frontier and workforce implications 31:55 – How to navigate capabilities without a static view 33:35 – Deployment zones: Experiment / Pilot / Implement 35:29 – How zones shift quarterly / software stack decisions 37:50 – Manufacturing case study: the setup 40:26 – What they built (workbench in Claude Code, RFQ automation) 42:54 – Who was involved across the organization 44:27 – Impact: clock speed and capacity nearly halved 46:00 – Engineers' time reallocation; divorcing revenue from headcount 47:33 – Agent legibility: what it means and why it matters 49:38 – Making your business agent-legible: the practical how 52:54 – This year we edit documents, we don't create them 53:32 – Where to start for a 50-person company 56:16 – Plug into your core work application and play 58:07 – What happens to companies that don't experiment now 59:11 – Playing to Win in an AI era: differentiation AND low cost 01:02:33 – Closing Watch on YouTube: https:/Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    58 min

  4. MAR 3

    Kris Krisco - Synopsis | Why 97% of AI Projects Fail in the Middle Market (And How to Fix It in 1 Week)

    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, operational AI that actually drives EBITDA. You’ll Learn Why 97% of middle-market AI projects fail — and the hidden infrastructure gap most companies ignore The critical role of master data management (MDM) and entity resolution in making AI outputs trustworthy How AI agents can replace months of traditional data engineering work with one-week iteration cycles Real examples of workflow automation that reduce operational waste and improve field execution in real time How private equity-backed companies are using AI in live board meetings to answer strategic questions instantly Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Why Most AI Initiatives Fail 04:40 The Synopsys Approach to Data Infrastructure 10:40 The MDM Problem No One Talks About 17:15 How Much of Your Data Are You Actually Using? 20:45 Workflow Automation & Real-World Use Cases 25:15 Disaster Recovery Case Study 33:00 AI Inside Private Equity Board Meetings 36:30 The Future: Rule of 40 Becomes Rule of 70+ Links Explore more expert interviews: https://checkpluris.com/expert-interviewsWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a6H8SxJTsOcConnect with Kris Krisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-krisco/ Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    39 min

  5. FEB 25

    AI for Non-Technical Leaders: Turn One Meeting Into 10 Revenue-Generating Assets

    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 blueprint for saving time, increasing output, and unlocking ROI without hiring a dev shop. You’ll Learn How to turn a single meeting transcript into LinkedIn posts, proposals, client deliverables, and course content in minutesWhy most AI projects fail—and how to scope high-ROI use cases that actually stickA simple diagnostic framework to uncover 1–10 immediate AI opportunities inside any workflowHow off-the-shelf tools like Claude and Relay can replace expensive, over-engineered automation projectsA real-world PR agency case study that cut multi-hour manual research down to 10 minutes per client request Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:58 Mollie’s background and founding WatchMe AI 05:09 The 90-minute AI diagnostic that reveals hidden ROI 12:17 One transcript → 10 revenue-generating assets 18:55 Why jumping into automations can backfire 20:32 PR agency case study: automating conference research 25:16 Busting myths about AI adoption 29:09 Who should start using AI now Links Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEP3Vs5ml4gConnect with Mollie Amkraut Mueller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollieamkraut/Explore more on Just Curious https://www.justcurious.io/articles/ai-for-non-technical-leaders-turn-one-meeting-into-10-revenue-generating-assetsJust Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    27 min

  6. FEB 17

    How AI Caught What Bonuses, Training, and Pay Raises Couldn't Fix

    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 perspective is clear: the technology isn’t the hard part — leadership ownership is. You’ll Learn • Why most AI initiatives fail because CEOs delegate ownership instead of leading transformation themselves • How to rebuild workflows from first principles instead of layering AI onto broken processes • What “total ownership” actually means — and why third-party vendors can’t carry your AI strategy • How agentic workflows unlock capacity by automating repetitive work before it hits your desk • A behind-the-scenes case study of using computer vision and human-in-the-loop systems to improve care quality, culture, and compensation Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Ryan’s path from early AI startup to founding The AI Lab 04:15 Why “AI strategy” is the wrong starting point 08:10 The leadership readiness test most companies fail 12:00 What total ownership actually looks like 18:00 Why agentic workflows change the economics of work 23:00 Case study: Using AI to improve caregiver performance 27:30 Human-in-the-loop systems and hybrid AI architecture 30:00 Cultural and operational impact 31:45 How to sequence AI adoption the right way 34:25 Who The AI Lab works with Links Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bdSq4S2_PZUConnect with Ryan Kurt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankurt/Explore more interviews: https://www.justcurious.io/articles/how-ai-caught-what-bonuses-training-and-pay-raises-couldnt-fix"Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    33 min

  7. FEB 10

    How Sunrun Found $80M in Hidden Costs by Finally Understanding Its Data

    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 misjudge how teams actually spend their time—and how that blind spot derails AI strategyHow “keep-the-lights-on” work and operational debt quietly consume 50–70% of enterprise capacityWhy data warehouses and dashboards lack the context required for effective AI agents and decision-makingHow mapping work at the activity level enables AI use cases to be prioritized by ROI, not intuitionWhat Sunrun uncovered when it quantified technical and operational debt—and how that led to $80M+ in savingsChapters 00:00 Intro 01:33 Why leaders lack visibility into real work 05:12 The hidden cost of “keep the lights on” work 09:10 Why data warehouses fail at operational understanding 13:20 What a contextual work graph actually looks like 18:29 Measuring AI impact beyond adoption 23:46 Operational debt and resource allocation 30:01 Sunrun case study: uncovering $80M in inefficiencies 35:43 AI vs. process change—what to automate and why 41:57 The mindset shift leaders need for AI at scale Links Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zDDspYqT_7oConnect with Adam Schwartz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgregoryschwartz/Explore more interviews: https://www.justcurious.io/articles/how-sunrun-found-80m-in-hidden-costs-by-finally-understanding-its-data Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    38 min

  8. JAN 12

    Stop Buying AI Slop: How Mid-Market Companies Actually Get ROI from AI

    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 investors and operators who want measurable results, fast. You’ll Learn Why AI adoption is easy for individuals but structurally hard for organizations — and how to close that gap How to identify high-ROI AI use cases by starting with business goals, not technology What “AI slop” looks like in practice and how to avoid wasting capital on vaporware Why Tenex charges on output (story points) instead of hours — and how incentives unlock 10x productivity How to get your first AI win inside a company to build momentum and executive buy-in Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:49 Arman’s background and founding Tenex 02:30 Why AI is different from past tech waves 05:26 What AI changes — and what it doesn’t — in business 07:08 How companies should prepare for an AI-native future 09:01 How Tenex identifies and executes AI opportunities 12:15 Diagnostic process and opportunity mapping 15:13 Why CEO-level buy-in is critical 16:31 The Tenex output-based business model 21:28 Generative AI, agents, and AI-powered software builds 23:25 Avoiding “AI slop” and navigating the AI bubble 27:00 Build vs. buy decisions in an AI world 28:39 Real client example: AI-driven revenue and efficiency gains 33:24 Ruthless focus on business goals 34:02 Advice for new Heads of AI Links Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xRV_OnkK9eAExplore more interviews: https://www.justcurious.io/Connect with Arman Hezarkhani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahez/Just Curious is the content and podcast brand of Pluris, helping leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom AI-powered software, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value. Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://just-curious-ai.beehiiv.com

    35 min
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About

Just Curious is the podcast of Pluris, a platform connecting investors and operators with the world’s leading applied AI experts. Each episode turns AI from buzzword to bottom line through sharp case studies and practical conversations. We explore how AI is used to grow revenue, expand margins, improve operations, and create measurable value inside real businesses.Learn more at checkpluris.com

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