Operating Co.Operating Co.
Forward-deployed operators + engineers

Operators who build.
Engineers who ship.

Senior operators who build with AI, backed by production engineers, embedded inside PE-backed and mid-market companies. We find the highest-ROI work, ship the first version in weeks, and hand you the keys.

Book a working session See the work →
~15 hrsto a first version that matched a manufacturer's own pricing analysis, item for item
28 of 50capped hours used to deliver that project's first phase
>95%of agent-drafted support replies sent unedited
Pre-LOIAI diligence on PE deals, then a 90-day plan for after close

Before Operating Co.FlexportBlackstone portfolioPhysical IntelligenceMcKinsey & CompanyFirst Round CapitalNASAU.S. Navy

Work

Built inside real businesses.

Each one started from a bottleneck the business had already noticed. Described by sector rather than by name.

Specialty manufacturer · PE-backed
Delivered

Pricing power, put in the hands of the sales team

Pricing across thousands of products was set by an annual spreadsheet exercise that was months stale by the time it landed. It is now a console that re-scores every customer and product from the company's own invoice extract, with the margin math behind every call visible. The team runs it without us.

1,785 / 1,785items matched their prior analysis
~15 hrsof build behind that first version
~69%of revenue in the accounts it protects
Multi-location services roll-up · PE-backed
V0 live

One dashboard, built to absorb acquisitions

A KPI dashboard built on the company's own booking-system exports, so each newly acquired location appears as it comes onto the system, with targets loaded per location. Weekly views are next.

3 weeksfrom scoping call to a working v0
8locations, six of them just acquired
Private equity
In use

AI diligence before the LOI

We size where AI can grow a target and where it threatens it, count only improvements we have delivered elsewhere, and turn that into a 90-day plan for after close.

Pre-LOIwhere diligence starts
90 daysplan for after close
B2B services

The same team, serving more customers

The company's knowledge lived in years of sent mail, so an off-the-shelf bot had nothing to answer from. We distilled it into reviewed articles, measured quality against the team's corrections, and put agent-drafted replies on top. Every human edit feeds back in.

>95%of drafted replies go out unedited
Same daytypical turnaround on customer mail

Glad to walk through any of these in detail, subject to client permission.

New practice · Robotics & automation

Automation that was never possible before.

Foundation models for robots are bringing work into range that nobody could automate a few years ago. We help companies put robots to work, from the first floor walk to a line running at rate, and help buyers find businesses where automation changes the cost structure.

  • Machine tending
  • Palletizing
  • Kitting
  • Vision inspection
  • Wire & cable processing
Line drawing of a pilot robot cell: an arm picking parts from a conveyor that is wired to the plant's ERP and MES. ERP · MES ORDERS IN COUNTS OUT J1 J2 J3 EOAT REACH CONVEYOR FIG. 1 · ILLUSTRATIVE PILOT CELL, WIRED IN
Approach

How a first project runs.

Small, capped, and built in the open. Our operators diagnose the opportunity and ship the first working version themselves, then our engineers make it production-grade. Nothing is lost in a handoff.

  1. Week 1

    A 45-minute screen

    Of your systems and workflows, with you and one person who actually does the work. No preparation needed on your side.

  2. Week 2

    Two or three scoped options

    Each sized in hours, with the ROI case stated plainly, including the ones we think are not worth doing.

  3. Weeks 3–6

    Build the best one

    An operator ships the first working version with the people who will use it, against a pre-approved cap.

  4. Then

    Harden and hand over

    Engineers make what works production-grade. You get the code, the docs, and a process your team runs without us.

A hard ceiling

Every first project has a pre-approved not-to-exceed figure. Nothing above it bills without your written sign-off.

You own what we build

The code, the documentation and the playbook stay with the company, whoever owns it next.

A person signs off

Where an agent touches a customer, a person approves before anything goes out.

Who it's for

Big enough to have real problems, ready for someone senior to own AI.

Private Equity

AI diligence before the LOI, then value creation inside the portfolio. Start with one PortCo or bring us across the fund.

Explore →

Mid-market & Enterprise

Whether you're just starting with AI or would rather build than buy another point tool, start with one capped project.

Explore →

Robotics & automation

Put robots to work in your operation, or buy a company where automation changes the cost structure. From the first floor walk to a line running at rate.

Explore →
Team

Operators who have run businesses, and who build.

You work with the partners, not a pyramid. Each has carried a P&L or an engineering team before writing a line of code for you.

Portrait of Will Stoeckle

Will Stoeckle

Co-founder · CEO
  • General manager at Flexport
  • Ran operations at a Blackstone portfolio company, overseeing nine figures of spend
  • Led operations and data production at Physical Intelligence
Marshall Scholar · Stanford
Portrait of Jean Weatherwax

Jean Weatherwax

Co-founder · CTO
  • Three years as tech lead at First Round Capital
  • Engineering at NASA and in aerospace
  • Founded her own company; runs the engineers who harden every build
Marshall Scholar · Imperial College London
Portrait of Ben Kozy

Ben Kozy

Co-founder · COO
  • Former COO of Airspace
  • Nearly five years at McKinsey & Company
  • Former U.S. Navy officer; runs the forward-deployed operators
Columbia

Operator or engineer who wants in? Careers →

Questions

What people ask before the first call.

What does a first project cost?

Discovery is billed hourly against a pre-approved cap, and nothing above the cap bills without your written sign-off. First projects are deliberately small: a recent first phase came in at 28 of its 50 capped hours. Once the impact is measurable, we are open to pricing on outcomes instead of hours.

Do we need clean data or an AI strategy first?

No. The first screen takes 45 minutes and needs no preparation. Most of what we build starts from what you already have: an invoice extract, your ERP, years of sent mail.

Who actually does the work?

Senior operators who have run businesses build the first version themselves, and production engineers harden it. Nobody sells you the project and then hands it to a junior team.

What happens when you leave?

A clean handoff: the code, the documentation, and a process your team runs without us. There's no retainer or minimum after handoff.

Do you only work with PE-backed companies?

No. Much of our work is inside PE portfolios, but we also work directly with founder-led and venture-backed companies.

Can you help with robotics, not just software?

Yes. It's our newest practice: we help companies adopt robotics, from choosing the first cell to running it at rate, and help buyers size and deliver what automation can do to a target's cost structure. Robotics & automation →

Let's find one thing worth building.

Tell us about your company or portfolio. We'll start with a 45-minute screen and come back with a concrete first project. Not a pitch.

Book a working session