Guest: Ferdinand Terme, Lasqo AI

Key Topics

• Why vertical AI startups are winning against tech giants
• Building B2B AI products vs features
• The role of human-in-the-loop in scaling AI solutions
• Transitioning from consulting to AI entrepreneurship

Main Insights

Path to Entrepreneurship

• Started at McKinsey Casablanca (French-speaking Africa focus)
• Joined Alma during hypergrowth (50 to 400 employees)
• Explored Fintech before pivoting to AI/creative space

Building Lasqo AI

• AI designers for marketing teams in SMBs
• Focused on brand-consistent visual asset creation
• Accessible through Slack integration
• Uses custom-trained models (LoRA) for each brand

Why Focus Wins

• Large companies struggle with maintaining quality across broad offerings
• Startups can:
  • Build deeper rather than broader
  • Maintain tight feedback loops
  • Take calculated risks
  • Focus on specific use cases

Human-in-the-Loop Strategy

• Initial model training with brand guidelines
• Cost-effective for B2B recurring revenue model
• Client feedback drives continuous improvement
• Balance between automation and quality control