The Startup Ideas Podcast

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In this episode, I talk with Vas from Varick about what it takes to put AI to work inside a real company. Vas makes the case that AI pays off through process reengineering, and he walks me through the exact method his forward deployed engineers (FDEs) use: interviews, process mining, step sorting, and agents built inside existing systems of record. We go through real engagements, including a $5B public software company and an accounts payable overhaul that cut the cost per invoice from $31 to $6. By the end, you get a clear picture of the FDE role, the business opportunity behind AI roll-ups, and a five-day plan to start on your own.
Links Mentioned:
FDE Presentation: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/FDE-slides
Vas’s Article: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/vas-fde
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:31 – Sponsor: Google
03:58 – FDE Overview
05:02 – AI Roll-Ups and Process Reengineering
08:04 – The Personal Systems Analogy
09:55 – Understanding a company’s process (step-by-step)
14:11 – Case Study: $5B Software Company
18:11 – 4 Buckets for Every Step
19:04 – Build Inside Systems of Record
21:36 – Case Study: PE Portfolio
23:43 – Selling to C-Suite Executives
27:07 – Process of Mapping Five NetSuite Companies
28:39 – Example: Accounts Payable Process Map
32:54 – Case Study: 60-Person Accounting Firm
34:51 – When to Use Code, Agents, or Humans
36:00 – Choosing AI Models
38:16 – Sidekick vs Background Agents
40:29 – The 3 Skills of a Top FDE
42:25 – Why FDEs Earn So Much
45:26 – Five-Day Starter Plan
47:39 – On-Premise Hardware Demand
48:36 – OpenAI Private Intelligence
50:20 – The Full Playbook
52:01 – Closing Thoughts
Key Points
AI pays off when you re-engineer the process first, then build agents into it.
Map the real process with interviews, system-of-record mining, and existing docs.
Sort every step into four buckets: delete, plain code, agent, or human decision.
Build agents inside the tools clients already use, like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Slack.
Sell the outcome each buyer cares about, and prove it with before-and-after KPIs.
Top FDEs combine domain knowledge, production engineering, AI judgment, and strong communication.
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND VAS ON SOCIAL
Varick Agents: https://www.varickagents.com/#hero-section
X/Twitter: https://x.com/vasuman
AI Forward Deployed Engineers: https://learn.varickagents.com/fde-in-30-days

I watched almost 60 minutes of Sam Altman on stage at OpenAI Dev Day 2026. Out of 20-plus launches, I pick the three or four that I think can make people billions of dollars in aggregate. I break down Dots, OpenAI's personal agent platform, plus the Decisions API, the Agents API with computer use, and Sign in with ChatGPT. I also share my four-step framework for building in this world and two business ideas I hope someone takes. If you want to build a business and make money around AI, this episode is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

01:48 – Dots, the Personal Agent Platform

03:29 – OpenAI Doubles Down on Plugins

05:02 – Decisions API

06:43 – Agents API With Computer Use

08:01 – Sign In With ChatGPT

12:36 – Where should you build?

13:46 – Idea: Real-World Work APIs

15:04 – Idea: Analytics for Agent Discovery

17:05 –Closing Thoughts

Key Points

Dots gives plugin builders a front door to 1.2 billion weekly active users.

OpenAI is doubling down on plugins to make ChatGPT the app ecosystem for AI.

Sign in with ChatGPT lets users bring their current plan, so a free core app with paid upsells now works.

Workflows too niche for OpenAI to build become viable businesses.

The strongest businesses in this world own the trigger, the action, and the feedback.

Two open opportunities: real-world work APIs and an analytics layer for agent discovery

The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com

LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/

FIND ME ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

In this solo episode, I break down the $5 trillion wave of small businesses set to change hands as their owners retire, and why AI agents make this wave a real opening for solo founders. I walk through how Thrive Holdings and General Catalyst buy accounting firms, property managers, and support centers, then run AI agents inside them to lift margins. Then I show how I'd run a one-person holding company: the folder structure, the agent files, the human approval rule, and my average week. I close with the strongest arguments against AI roll-ups, including the one I take most seriously.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

01:52 – Why the $5 Trillion Shift Is Happening Now

04:52 – Examples: Thrive Holdings& General Catalyst

08:38 – The Fund Playbook

10:07 – The Small-Deal Gap

10:51 – The One-Person Holdco

14:23 – The Folder Structure

16:47 – The Agent Pipeline

18:38 – Inside a Reviewer Agent File

19:41 – My Week Running the Holdco

21:49 – How to Land the First Business

22:24 – Arguments Against AI Roll-Ups

27:43 – Closing Thoughts

Key Points

About a million small businesses, part of a $5 trillion shift, are set to sell by 2035 as owners retire (McKinsey).

AI agents now handle the work these firms run on: data entry, document chasing, status updates, and first drafts.

The big funds chase bigger deals, which leaves the small firms open for solo founders and small teams.

A one-person holdco runs on shared agents and rules, plus a GM with real upside at each business.

A person approves all agent work before it reaches a client.

The corrections log, turned into rules every week, becomes the most valuable asset in the holdco.

The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com

LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/

FIND ME ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

In this solo episode, I break down the huge business opportunity because Meta has opened Muse, its personal AI agent, to developers. You can now submit a connector, which lets Muse use your service when someone asks it for help, and I think this could be the app store moment for AI. I explain how a connector works, share four startup ideas you can build on one, and cover how to get customers beyond Meta's directory. I also show how I'd build a first version with a coding agent like Claude Code or Codex, and what I'd test before submitting it to Meta for review.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – The App Store Parallel

04:55 – How a Muse Connector Works

07:29 – Startup Idea 1: Lead Gen for Business Suppliers

09:28 – Startup Idea 2: Home Repair Dispatch

11:07 – Startup Idea 3: Paddle Match and Court Finder

12:47 – Startup Idea 4: Family Dinner Planning

14:10 – How to pick an idea?

14:56 – How People Find Your Connector

15:32 – Growth Idea 1: Partner With Creators

16:17 – Growth Idea 2: Product-Led Sharing

17:46 – Growth Idea 3: Connected Marketplaces and Directory Placement

19:34 – Building the First Version

21:38 – Custom Connectors and Meta Approval

23:56 – Where to Start This Week

25:31 – Closing thoughts

Muse Connector Prompt: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/muse-connector-prompt

Key Points

Meta has opened Muse to developers, and a connector lets Muse use your service when someone asks it for help.

I look closely at the step in a request where someone needs a business that can deliver and money changes hands.

With a small budget, I'd start with lead generation, because I can show a customer a sample before writing much software.

I plan distribution around channels I can reach, such as creators, product-led sharing, and connected marketplaces.

A coding agent can build the first version, and I still inspect the results and test the awkward requests myself.

To start this week, I'd talk to one type of customer about the last time they dealt with the task.

The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com

LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/

FIND ME ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

Get Your Complete Financial OS at https://startup-ideas-pod.link/brex_SIP

In this episode I speak with Nicholas Cole about the real value of everything you write on the internet. Cole has 15 years of experience as a nonfiction writer and ghostwriter, and he runs the SaaS platform Typeshare. He gives me a simple model with three tiers of content: commodity, personality, and original. He also explains the digital brain, which he calls your personal language model, and he shows how AI repeats your approved language at scale. By the end, you know how to judge the short, medium, and long-term value of a piece before you write it.

Start Writing Online In 30 Days: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/ship30

Timestamps

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:36 – POV is the Moat

00:05:40 – Language As Open Source

00:11:24 – Value Is Relative To The Reader

00:14:26 – Approved Language

00:17:43 – The Value of AI in Writing

00:22:09 – Commodity Ideas

00:24:23 – How To Set Up The System

00:27:58 – Ownership IS Association

00:33:56 – Build your Personal Data Set

00:39:53 – Branded Content vs Founder-Led Content

00:45:17 – What is Original Content?

00:46:35 – Writing Versus Short-Form Video

00:48:58 – Three Types of Hooks

00:49:50 – Timely Content vs Timeless Content

00:53:27 – Voice is 3 dialed settings

00:56:32 – Finding your Voice

01:00:49 – The Company Brain As The Moat

01:07:30 – Closing Thoughts

Key Points

A point of view creates the moat, because copycats must wait for your next idea.

Content sits in three tiers: commodity, personality, and original. Each tier adds different leverage.

Ownership equals association. Volume builds it, and personality details make it strong.

Your life story is the unmade data set, so AI learns it only from your own writing.

Every piece sits on a spectrum from timely to timeless, so match your expectations to the type.

Humans do the thinking and the writing. Robots do the repeating and the remixing.

The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com

LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/

FIND ME ON SOCIAL

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

FIND COLE ON SOCIAL

X: https://x.com/Nicolascole77

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nicolascole77

Ship 30 for 30: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/ship30