AI is the New Edge. DO YOU HAVE IT?

AI is the most significant technology shift since the internet. For family offices, it represents both an investment opportunity and an operational imperative. PwC projects AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, and family offices that understand AI deeply—both as investors and operators—will have a compounding advantage over those that don't.

On the investment side, understanding AI deeply helps you evaluate the thousands of AI companies seeking funding and identify the ones that will actually succeed. According to PitchBook, AI startups received over $50 billion in venture funding in 2023. Most of these companies will fail. The family offices that can distinguish genuine AI capability from hype will make dramatically better investment decisions in the most important technology sector of our generation.

On the operational side, AI can transform how you analyze investments, monitor portfolios, assess risk, and manage operations. Jeff Cline's PROFIT AT SCALE methodology brings AI into family office operations strategically—not as a science project or a buzzword, but as a practical capability that delivers measurable results.

The AI opportunity for family offices spans four domains. First, Investment Analysis—AI that can analyze financial statements, market data, competitive landscapes, and deal documents in hours instead of weeks, surfacing insights that human analysts might miss. Second, Portfolio Monitoring—AI-powered pattern recognition that identifies concerning trends in portfolio company data before they become obvious problems. Third, Risk Management—AI models that assess and monitor risk across your entire portfolio in real-time, including market risk, credit risk, and operational risk. Fourth, Operational Efficiency—AI tools that automate research, generate reports, draft communications, and handle routine analytical tasks.

The key to successful AI adoption in family offices is starting with specific, high-value use cases rather than trying to 'become AI-powered' overnight. Jeff Cline identifies the 3-5 AI applications that will have the highest impact on your specific operations, deploys them in a controlled manner, and measures results before expanding. This pragmatic approach avoids the two most common AI failure modes: doing nothing (paralysis) and doing everything (chaos).

The investment implications of AI understanding are perhaps even more valuable. Family offices evaluating AI companies need to distinguish between companies that use AI as a genuine competitive advantage and companies that use 'AI' as a marketing term. Jeff Cline provides the technical depth to evaluate AI claims: Is the AI proprietary or commodity? Does it have a data moat? Is it actually better than non-AI alternatives? Can it scale? These questions determine whether an AI investment is worth $10M or $0.

The Increase/Decrease framework structures the AI strategy. We INCREASE the Scalable Demand Engine by deploying AI-powered investment analysis that lets you evaluate more opportunities with greater depth. We build Efficient Teams by augmenting your investment professionals with AI tools that handle research, analysis, and reporting. We amplify IP Value by building proprietary AI models trained on your unique data and investment history.

On the DECREASE side, AI reduces Cost by automating analytical work that previously required expensive talent or external consultants. It reduces Risk by providing continuous, AI-powered monitoring and risk assessment. And it reduces Operational Strain by handling the cognitive load of complex analysis, letting your team focus on judgment and relationships.

How It Works: The engagement begins with an AI Readiness Assessment—evaluating your current data infrastructure, operational processes, and team capabilities. We then identify the highest-impact AI applications for your specific family office and build an AI Deployment Roadmap. Implementation starts with a pilot project—typically AI-powered investment analysis or portfolio monitoring—that demonstrates value within 90 days. Success with the pilot builds confidence and capability for broader AI adoption. If you're also modernizing your digital infrastructure or building direct investment capability, AI strategy layers naturally on top of those foundations.