The sequencing mistake most PE firms make with AI programs. And the 90-day internal win that changes the calculus.
Blake Aber · Predicate Ventures · 2026
The pattern I keep watching: a PE firm announces an AI initiative for its portfolio companies. The announcement is LP-facing. The initiative is visible. The firm looks like it's ahead of the curve.
Eighteen months later, the portfolio companies are still running pilots. The AI initiative is still being announced. The GP team has spent considerable time running workshops and writing frameworks. Portco results have been uneven.
The problem isn't that the firm was wrong about AI. It's that the sequence was wrong.
