Just Curious: Applied AI for PE and Mid-Market Leaders

Just Curious: Applied AI for PE and Mid-Market Leaders

From curiosity to capability: Practical insights and actionable advice from the world's leading applied AI experts to help middle-market business and private equity leaders create value with AI.

Featured Posts

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence
+2+2
Rapid AI Wins & Cute Marketplaces: Your Weekly AI Playbook

Rapid AI Wins & Cute Marketplaces: Your Weekly AI Playbook

Rapid AI validation, embedding AI in daily tools, and practical playbooks from top experts.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence
+4+4
Your AI Edge Starts With People, Not Models

Your AI Edge Starts With People, Not Models

Amrit Saxena on PE x AI, Tahnee Perry on The AI Risks You're Overlooking, Emma Grede’s SKIMS story, and the mindset shift behind real AI momentum.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Intent and Quality: How Jay Singh Builds AI That Wins with Singles and Doubles

Intent and Quality: How Jay Singh Builds AI That Wins with Singles and Doubles

The Casper Studios CEO on why lasting AI adoption comes from calm execution, modular design, and measurable results. Not moonshots.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
From Pilot to Production: Fractional AI’s Playbook for Making AI Real

From Pilot to Production: Fractional AI’s Playbook for Making AI Real

Chris Taylor on how PE firms can move beyond proofs of concept and deliver production-grade AI systems that drive measurable value

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Private EquityPrivate Equity
+1+1
From POC to Production: Csongor Barabasi’s Fast-Fashion Playbook for AI in PE-Backed Software

From POC to Production: Csongor Barabasi’s Fast-Fashion Playbook for AI in PE-Backed Software

How Bonsai Labs helps B2B software companies ship AI products in months and turn them into real ARR. Plus: this week’s member offer on a focused Data & AI Opportunity Strategy Sprint.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Private EquityPrivate Equity
+2+2
Speed to Conviction: Osman Ghandour on Building AI Systems That Scale

Speed to Conviction: Osman Ghandour on Building AI Systems That Scale

The Soal Labs Founder & CEO on how private capital firms can standardize, systematize, and scale AI without hiring headcount.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson

Archive

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence
+5+5
Why AI Is Finally Starting to Work (And Why Most Teams Still Miss the Point)

Why AI Is Finally Starting to Work (And Why Most Teams Still Miss the Point)

Just Curious 2025 Year in Review, Part 1 of 4: four diagnostic patterns from 100+ applied AI practitioners on what actually creates value once the novelty fades.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence
+3+3
Code Is Cheap. Context Isn’t: Tau9 Labs’ Factory-Floor Playbook

Code Is Cheap. Context Isn’t: Tau9 Labs’ Factory-Floor Playbook

Alex Gruebele & Chandler Gonzalez on how AI is unlocking a new era of custom software in manufacturing, cutting quoting from hours to seconds with builds measured in months, not years.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Private EquityPrivate Equity
+1+1
From POC to Production: Csongor Barabasi’s Fast-Fashion Playbook for AI in PE-Backed Software

From POC to Production: Csongor Barabasi’s Fast-Fashion Playbook for AI in PE-Backed Software

How Bonsai Labs helps B2B software companies ship AI products in months and turn them into real ARR. Plus: this week’s member offer on a focused Data & AI Opportunity Strategy Sprint.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
AIAI
+2+2
Start Small, Design for Scale

Start Small, Design for Scale

Jordan Gurrieri, Co-Founder & CEO of BlueLabel, on scaling AI through workflow-fit and change management, plus a member-only offer for PE & Private Credit teams prioritizing their first AI investments.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
FinanceFinance
+3+3
The CFO’s AI Playbook: Fix Data Flows First

The CFO’s AI Playbook: Fix Data Flows First

Michael Cohen on why finance should act like a data team, and how one $50M manufacturer saved $500K, and another found $10M in three days.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Private EquityPrivate Equity
+2+2
Speed to Conviction: Osman Ghandour on Building AI Systems That Scale

Speed to Conviction: Osman Ghandour on Building AI Systems That Scale

The Soal Labs Founder & CEO on how private capital firms can standardize, systematize, and scale AI without hiring headcount.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
Intent and Quality: How Jay Singh Builds AI That Wins with Singles and Doubles

Intent and Quality: How Jay Singh Builds AI That Wins with Singles and Doubles

The Casper Studios CEO on why lasting AI adoption comes from calm execution, modular design, and measurable results. Not moonshots.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
From Pilot to Production: Fractional AI’s Playbook for Making AI Real

From Pilot to Production: Fractional AI’s Playbook for Making AI Real

Chris Taylor on how PE firms can move beyond proofs of concept and deliver production-grade AI systems that drive measurable value

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
AIAI
+2+2
Extending Cognition: From Knowledge Hoarding to Knowledge Leverage

Extending Cognition: From Knowledge Hoarding to Knowledge Leverage

DevDash Labs’ Nitesh Pant on how companies can automate research, reuse past work, and scale their expertise.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
4 AI Due Diligence Playbooks That Prevent Costly Mistakes

4 AI Due Diligence Playbooks That Prevent Costly Mistakes

How to see past flashy demos and uncover hidden risks before you invest

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
AIAI
+4+4
5 Battle-Tested Playbooks for AI Transformation

5 Battle-Tested Playbooks for AI Transformation

Skip the theory. Michael Domanic shares what actually works when deploying AI at scale.

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
From Months to Days: How AI is Compressing Innovation Cycles

From Months to Days: How AI is Compressing Innovation Cycles

Plus: Hidden costs of AI rollouts, agency accelerator launch, and why ChatGPT thinking limits business potential

Stuart Willson
Stuart Willson
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