We are your AI and data partner for strategy, implementation, and infrastructure, for teams where doing it yourself does not make sense: sensitive data, tight deadlines, and high stakes. Teams that cannot afford to risk a data leak, but also can't afford to fall behind with technology.
Not sure where to begin? Tell us what you are building, fixing or deciding and we scope the right engagement. How we get started
AI and data for technology/SaaS
Software companies, including publicly traded enterprises, run on data that is fragmented across teams while leadership needs numbers it can trust. We build churn models, forecasting roadmaps, marketing measurement, and migration visibility, with dashboards and shared metric baselines inside the technology platform the client specifies.
For a publicly traded global B2B SaaS client, we built a churn model that correctly identified a customer who will churn 85-90% of the time.
Valuation and advisory work has to hold up to auditors, opposing counsel, and the courts, so every number has to trace back to its source. We build document ingestion and report drafting workflows with provenance built in and your experts as the decision-makers.
For Avenue M Advisors, a business valuation and exit planning firm, we built a combined back-office and client portal that cut a 6-10 week valuation and report process to 6-10 days, with every number traceable to its source.
Consumer products companies that serve customers directly hear about every product problem, and a launch is at risk when the people who tested the product are gone. We build product testing and automated troubleshooting.
For a consumer healthtech and consumer packaged goods company, after key team members left before launch, we built a platform for testing the product and a system that identifies equipment errors reported through the mobile app and responds with solutions, reducing the need for customer support intervention.
Direct-to-consumer companies carry the support burden after the sale, when a customer has a problem with something they received. We build automated troubleshooting that resolves common issues and can trigger a replacement part.
For a consumer company that serves customers directly, we built a system that identifies equipment errors reported through the mobile app, gives users real-time tips to resolve them, and, if necessary, automatically ships replacement parts.
Companies that make physical products need to test them before launch and resolve problems once customers have them. We build product testing and automated troubleshooting for those teams.
For a company that makes a physical consumer product, we built a platform for testing the product after key team members left before launch, then a system that identifies equipment errors and provides solutions, reducing the need for customer support intervention.
Connected consumer products depend on a team that ships reliably while paying customers are watching. We bring delivery discipline to IoT projects, and build testing and automated troubleshooting for products controlled through a mobile app.
For a software development company building a consumer healthtech and IoT product, we changed the makeup of a stalled team until it exceeded break-even, and the end client's conference was a success.
A logistics client came to us to design a new technology platform. We take the time to understand the business requirements first, so the platform is scalable and flexible.
“Working with Mike and Acorn and the team has been fantastic that they really took the time to understand our business requirements. ... having that opportunity to work with Mike and the team to develop and go through that discovery process around designing a new technology platform, you know, which is fantastic for us that is scalable and flexible ...”
Patient records, intake, and administrative workflows carry some of the strictest confidentiality requirements of any industry, and clinical staff have little patience for tools that add friction instead of removing it. Consumer healthtech companies also hear about every product problem through an app and a support line. We build tools for the administrative and documentation work around care, not the clinical judgment itself, and we build product testing and automated troubleshooting, bringing delivery discipline to projects where paying customers are watching. Practices get the efficiency of AI without putting patient data at risk.
“They are just super sincere and genuine... very experienced and knowledgeable ... I have been in very good hands and the communication has been top notch. I feel at ease and not stressed and I just know that I am in such good hands with their team.”
Customer success teams are asked to predict and prevent churn with data that is fragmented, untrusted, or locked in separate tools. We build churn risk models, engagement tracking, and account visibility, so your data stays in systems you control or that we run for you.
For a publicly traded global B2B SaaS company, we built a model that correctly identified a customer who will churn 85-90% of the time.
Sales teams need forecasts they can trust, and an honest answer when the data cannot support one yet. We assess whether your data is ready for a forecasting model and build the roadmap for one.
For a sales CRM vendor, we assessed whether machine learning forecasting was feasible and recommended waiting, because there was not enough historical data to build a reliable tool.
Support teams lose time to errors that a system could catch and resolve. We build automated troubleshooting and issue triage.
For a consumer healthtech and consumer packaged goods company, we built a platform that identifies equipment errors reported through the mobile app and responds with solutions, reducing support intervention.
“Mike has an amazing ability to simplify complex problems into their core elements and address the root cause of challenges rather than the apparent symptoms. He can turn scattered thoughts into discernable action plans and can make sense of even the most complicated mess of priorities. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Mike again...”
Late projects and stalled teams need someone to find where the problem actually is. We bring forecasting, QA, and sprint discipline to project work that is slipping.
We changed the makeup of a stalled software team that was not covering its costs until it exceeded break-even, and the client's conference was a success. In another engagement, staggering the rollout of team members got a 1.0 delivered, with more delivered after that.
Engineering teams are asked to ship reliably while the data and tooling around them stay messy. We build data pipelines and testing tools, and bring delivery discipline to the work.
“While working with Mike, I've noticed that he's very thorough and methodical with his work. He's often upbeat and brings a lot of value to IRIS. He's also very solid when it comes to impromptu situations that require immediate decisions.”
Marketing teams are asked to justify budget with metrics that never connect to what the C-suite cares about. We build marketing measurement and channel ROI reporting.
For a publicly traded global B2B SaaS company, a dashboard project turned into a C-suite strategy framework with automated dashboards. Marketing could show which channels returned more value per touchpoint and where to concentrate a limited budget, and the marketing leader was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer after the engagement.
Operations teams inherit migrations, system changes, and integrations where data has to move cleanly and access has to stay controlled. We build data migrations, APIs, and access control, so your data stays in systems you control or that we run for you.
“Software people generally are a drag to work with. They kind of have the personality of a potato. Rigo and Mike were the total opposite of that. Acorn takes the time to understand everything about your business and exactly what you're looking for. Working with them has been absolutely fantastic and I would do it all over again 10,000 times.”
Is my clients' confidential information safe if we use AI?
It can be, if the system is built for it. Part of our process is to take a holistic look at your needs, risks, and governance, before making technology decisions. Certain frontier vendors have documents you can sign with them that agree to certain rules in terms of when they delete the data you put into their systems. Unfortunately the rules around this are changing frequently, which is why working with a partner like Acorn Analytics who can stay on top of the latest developments is key.
Is a general consumer AI account good enough for client work?
Usually not. Consumer versions of AI tools put little protection around what you give them. Firms that use them directly need an enterprise account with data-protection terms in place. Otherwise you are effectively handing over your data.
Will our customer data be used to train AI models?
First of all, what most people think of when they talk about an artificial intelligence system "learning" is a misconception. To the extent that we are talking about the protection of customer data, very few systems that Acorn Analytics creates are going to put data at risk or be considered "learning." This is a key concern in certain industries such as legal, so we align with relevant risk and governance frameworks for the compliance and safety requirements unique to your organization. Unless you consent in writing, we do not train models on your data.
Can we control which staff see which information?
Yes. This is part of why we map your business and systems before making a plan, because permissions and roles is often the most challenging part of any technology engagement. Suffice to say: you choose, person by person, what they see: the full record, an anonymized version, or nothing.
Do we need to bring on an in-house technology person first?
Not at the start. Too many internal voices at the beginning tends to slow things down. We can bring in the right support as the work grows, and you can change course later.
Let's talk.
High stakes, sensitive data, or a deadline that will not move? Tell us what you are launching.
