AI as a value creation lever. Not another slide deck.
Bespoke AI deployed across your portfolio companies. Senior-led every step, shipped as working code, measured in operating margin, not advisory hours. Built for funds that have already heard the pitch and want the deployment.
The AI thesis is everywhere, in IC memos, in operating partner reviews, in exit narratives. Then the meeting ends and nothing ships. Six months later the fund is paying a Big-4 firm for another slide deck that lands flat on the portfolio CEO’s desk.
The bottleneck is not vision. It is execution. Most consultancies sell strategy. Few of them ship anything that actually changes a portfolio company’s operating margin.
This is the gap we close. Senior AI engineers, using AI in our own delivery, embedded across selected OpCos for four to six weeks per deployment. The deliverable is working code merged into the OpCo’s systems, not a PDF the operating partner has to translate.
Pre-Acquisition AI Diligence
Capability assessment of the target. AI exposure to displacement risk, defensibility of the moat, sized opportunity for post-acquisition value creation. Output goes straight into the IC memo.
Operating Partner Playbook
A standardised deployment template applied across the portfolio. One method, six OpCos, consistent results. Yours to keep after handover.
100-Day Value Creation Sprint
Per-OpCo deployment in the critical first 100 days. AI agents shipped into systems, baseline KPIs set, named owner identified within the OpCo team.
Operating Margin Lift
Bespoke AI agents deployed into OpCo workflows, back-office automation, document processing, customer ops. Measured against EBITDA, not story arc.
Exit-Prep Narrative
Auditable AI capability statement for IC memos, exit narratives, and management presentations. Documented operating improvement, not aspirational vision.
Bench-Strength Augmentation
Senior AI delivery on demand. Without portfolio companies hiring or the fund carrying overhead. Scales with your portfolio, not against it.
Portfolio Scoping · Week 0
Confidential review of the portfolio and the operating partner’s value creation themes. We identify the two or three OpCos with highest deployment ROI and the named sponsor in each.
OpCo Audit · Weeks 1–2
The senior lead embeds with the OpCo. Maps workflows, costs the biggest time-sinks, drafts a deployment plan signed off by the OpCo CEO. The audit lead is the same person who will run the deployment.
Deployment · Weeks 3–5
Working code shipped into OpCo systems. AI agents reviewed by senior lead, deployed by OpCo team, baseline KPIs set. Every agent has a named owner inside the OpCo.
Handover · Week 6
Playbook handed to the operating partner. Documentation handed to the OpCo. The next portfolio company inherits the method, not the labour.
| What you get | Big-4 advisory | Nerdster deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Per-OpCo cost | £200k–£500k engagement | ✓ £15k–£50k per OpCo |
| Per-OpCo timeline | 3–6 months | ✓ 4–6 weeks |
| Primary output | Slide deck + recommendations | ✓ Working code merged into OpCo systems |
| Senior involvement | Partner pitches, juniors deliver | ✓ Senior lead, every step |
| AI in delivery | None | ✓ Claude Code-augmented (we eat our own dog food) |
| Cross-portfolio leverage | Bespoke per engagement | ✓ Playbook reused across OpCos, no rebuy fee |
| Exit narrative material | Theoretical capability | ✓ Audited, deployed, measured |
| Recurring lock-in | Annual retainer | ✓ Project-priced, no retainer |
Illustrative example. Fund and OpCo names under NDA, references available on request after scoping.
A UK-headquartered private equity fund, around £600m AUM, eight portfolio companies. The operating partner wanted an AI thesis baked into the next two value creation plans before the upcoming LP meeting. Two large consultancies had pitched six-month engagements at £350k–£450k each, neither willing to commit to anything in production.
We ran the engagement: portfolio scoping week 0, three concurrent OpCo audits in weeks 1–2, parallel deployments weeks 3–5, playbook handover week 6. All three OpCos had working AI in production by the end of week 5. Total fee £42k per OpCo, £126k all-in for the portfolio engagement.
The operating partner walked into the LP meeting with deployed agents to demo, not slide promises.
Portfolio AI Capability Map
Scored exposure and opportunity per OpCo. Used for IC review, value creation planning, and prioritising future deployments.
Per-OpCo Audit Reports
Costed workflow analysis with deployment recommendations and ROI estimates. Signed by the senior lead who runs the deployment.
Deployed AI Agents
Merged into each selected OpCo’s systems. Owned by the OpCo team. Documented for handover and onboarding.
Operating Partner Playbook
The deployment method, written up, ready to apply to subsequent portfolio companies without further fees.
Baseline KPI Dashboard
Pre and post deployment metrics tied to operating margin. Audit-ready. Re-usable for LP reporting and exit narrative.
Exit Narrative Materials
Documented AI capability statement for management presentations, IC memos, and buyer Q&A. Working code beats theoretical capability.
We’ve burned cash on AI advisors before. Why is this different?
Because we ship code, not slides. Most advisors leave you with a PDF and a follow-on retainer pitch. We embed a senior engineer in the OpCo, write the agents into your systems, and hand the playbook to your operating partner. The deliverable is in production by week 5. You can audit it. You can measure it. You can replicate it across the next OpCo without us.
How does this not become another six-month engagement?
Because the engagement is six weeks, not six months. And the next portfolio company inherits the playbook, not the labour. We are deliberately structured against the standard consulting incentive: longer engagement equals bigger fee. We price per deployment, not per quarter.
Will the OpCo CEO see us coming and resist?
Not how we set it up. The senior lead embeds inside the OpCo and works alongside the team, with the CEO as the primary stakeholder. The audit is positioned as a value-creation accelerator, which it is. By week 2 the CEO usually has more deployment ideas than we can fit in the sprint.
Do you cover pre-acquisition diligence as well as post-acquisition?
Yes. Pre-acquisition we map AI capability, displacement exposure, and deployment opportunity for the target. The output goes into the IC memo. Post-acquisition we run the deployment engagement. Often the same senior lead runs both, which keeps the narrative continuous from IC to value creation plan.
How do you measure impact?
Operating margin and time freed in the OpCo, both measured against a baseline we set in week 1. Every deployed agent has a named OpCo owner and a tracked KPI. We do not report on slide counts, attendance, or hours logged.
What if the OpCo does not engage?
Then we say so on the scoping call before any commitment. Sometimes the bottleneck is not AI. It is leadership readiness or data hygiene. We will tell you directly rather than charge you for an engagement that will not produce results. About one in five scoping calls ends with us recommending a different intervention first.
Do we own the playbook to use across the rest of the portfolio?
Yes. The operating-partner playbook is yours after handover, to apply to as many subsequent OpCos as you want, without further fees. Many funds bring us back for the next round of deployments, but only if we are still adding value beyond what the playbook captured.
Can you scale across our entire portfolio without scope creep?
Yes. We deploy per OpCo on fixed-fee engagements, with the playbook reused. There is no portfolio retainer to lock you in. You decide which OpCos go next and when.