PE firm burned six figures on AI consulting for 7 companies, got only a team chat subscription
alex_verem · x · 2026-09-15
An AI engineering consultant shares how a PE firm spent six figures on AI consulting across seven portfolio companies and got a team chat subscription and a 150-hour discovery deck, with a dev vendor billing extra "AI productivity" fees and zero shipping gains. The fund needed real EBITDA impact by December to underwrite 2027 exits. He sees four recurring gaps between consulting promises and engineering needs, starting with verifiable proof vs slide decks: PE funds buy AI advice far faster than it becomes working software.
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