AWSM LABS is a design-led, business-focused applied AI lab bringing clarity to the C.H.A.O.S — we help the future Fortune 500 identify, implement, and govern the AI that actually moves the business.
A design-led,business-focusedapplied AI lab.
A lab — deliberately, not a consultancy or an agency. AI is too new, and changing too quickly, for anyone to credibly stand above it as experts or gurus handing value down from the top.
We believe value is found, not declared — through research, experimentation, and exploration, disciplined by process and patterns that turn what we learn into repeatable outcomes. That's innovation, and it's exactly what a time of relentless change and accelerating technology calls for.
Advancing Workflows to Scale Markets
Leveraging AI for Breakthrough Strategies
AI doesn't failbecause the techisn't ready.It fails due toC.H.A.O.S.
For most enterprises, AI arrives as (AI) CHAOS — confusion, hesitation, anxiety, overwhelm, and skepticism that obscures real ROI. Incredible tooling, almost no clarity on where it pays off.
Roughly 200,000 U.S. mid-size enterprises ($10M–$1B ARR) are unsure or underprepared for their AI migration. We exist to bring clarity to that chaos — and turn it into measurable growth.
We see AI activation not as atechnology problem — but adesign & strategy one.
AI is only useful when it's directed at the workflows that matter — and amplifies human capability in the process. So we work across two fronts at once.
We help companies capture their value context — tying action to revenue-aligned areas while enabling the human resources they already have.
We understand workflows, amplify capabilities, and extend each person's capacity to expand on what's possible.
Eight principles.
The operating beliefs behind every engagement — and the reason clients don't shop elsewhere.
Amplification over replacement
The real value of AI is as a force multiplier of human potential — increasing what's possible through collaboration. We call it activated intelligence.
A design-based approach
An iterative, end-to-end systems approach that ensures human needs drive AI implementation, and solutions fit into the actual work.
Relentless pursuit of value
Every AI initiative is grounded in tangible, quantifiable value — built to deliver measurable impact, not impressive demos.
Cross-disciplinary teaming
Combining design, engineering, strategy, and change management delivers solutions that are considered, comprehensive, and sustainable.
Teach by doing
Lasting AI capability is built inside teams through hands-on learning, coaching, and iterating — we teach while we build.
Innovate, responsibly
Clear governance structures keep every implementation secure, transparent, and ethical.
Built to scale
Meaningful AI solutions start focused and small, then grow confidently with a client's culture and capabilities.
Collective excellence
One team, one mission. We embed with clients to win across both operational and commercial dimensions.
A process thatstarts with value.
We define the dollar value before we build — then design, deploy, and iterate toward outcomes that compound.
Uncover
Purpose & potentialWe map all the known issues and the value areas worth pursuing — defining where AI could compound before we commit to anything.
Prioritize
In dollar termsWe identify, quantify, and rank value areas first — alongside the personnel growth opportunities to re-, up-, or cross-skill.
Co-design
The roadmapWith an exploration mindset, we look internally and evaluate partners and tools — breaking analysis paralysis while creating structure, stability, and security.
Execute
& iterate relentlesslyA value-based AI roadmap to deploy, pilot, and improve — outcomes we iterate on until the ROI is undeniable.
One connected path:assess, build, govern.
SPRK, CRFT, and KNTRL aren't standalone tools — together they're the SMRTN Suite, one path from AI opportunity to measured ROI. Assess where it pays off, build the owned product, govern what it costs.
Find the AI that pays — before you build
- Find where AI actually pays off, ranked by ROI
- A validated business case before you build
- A board-ready activation roadmap
Design, build + launch — you own it
- One workflow → an owned AI-native product
- Validate in days, launch in weeks
- You own everything at handoff
See what AI costs — and if it's working
- All AI spend in one normalized view
- Catch unused licenses + redundant tools
- Live in under 24 hours, from $149/mo
A lean team with an outsized track record.
Combined years of experience
Senior partners & leads
Fortune 500 brands shipped for
Real-world AI use cases benchmarked
PhDs across the team
ROI guarantee on every build
Ex-McKinsey · BCG · AWS · Frog · Accenture · Bank of America
The skill of big +the speed of small.
Operators and builders from McKinsey, BCG, AWS, Frog, and the world's biggest brands — assembled as a small, senior team that moves fast and ships.
Fritz Desir
Managing Partner · Strategic Design29+ years across digital experience, product, and strategy. Former North America Head of Strategic Design at BCG and experience design director at McKinsey & Company. Two-time founder, certified product owner, and former NYU adjunct instructor.
Full bio
Pablo Cruz Pou
Partner · Product & GTM15+ years across product strategy, venture building, and go-to-market execution. Co-founder of JULO Exchange and Subconscious.ai, and active angel investor with 4 exits across founder, operator, and advisory roles. Former Lead Senior Product Manager at Frog Design, with enterprise engagements at Baker Hughes, HP, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Full bio
Dr. Jacques Kotze
Partner, Lead · Data Science / ML15+ years of AI research, implementation, and commercial application. Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics; researcher at Oxford and Stanford. Co-founder of a VC-backed adtech company across 10 countries with a PE exit. Board member at 10 Academy.
Full bio
Dr. Solomon Abiola
Technology Lead · Data Science / ML10+ years in AI/ML product development. Two-time SaaS founder and two-time Head of Engineering. Launched AWS Educate to 100,000+ customers, driving $5M in revenue. BSE Princeton, MS Carnegie Mellon, and dual PhDs from Rochester.
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Peter March
Experience & Process Design Lead20+ years in interaction design across CPG, tech, and healthcare — including Bayer, Sanofi, and Novartis. Former Director of UX at FCB Health, Neon, and VML. Former UX instructor at Miami Ad School.
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Adrian Franks
Associate Partner · Design Lead25+ years of multidisciplinary creative leadership across design, advertising, and culture — known as A.d.FRNK. Shaped branding and UX for Coca-Cola, Toyota, and AT&T, and designed one of the first Apple Watch apps. A Gold Addy winner and Advertising Age 40-under-40, with work featured in the Smithsonian's American Enterprise exhibition.
Full bioValue is found,not declared.
So we publish what we learn — sharp essays on AI activation, and original research on what actually works once AI is deployed.
Field notes on AI activation — the deployment gap, ROI that holds up, and why most AI stalls before it ships.
Primary research on what actually works once AI is in production — benchmarks, teardowns, and findings you can act on.
Let's buildsomething awesome.
Whether you're exploring AI for the first time or scaling what's working, we'd love to hear what you're trying to move.