Osman Ghandour - Soal Labs | How AI Gave a Private Credit Firm 50% More Deal Capacity — Without Hiring

Osman Ghandour, Co-founder & CEO of Soal Labs, helps private equity and private credit firms turn chaotic, spreadsheet-driven processes into unified, AI-powered workflows. Working with middle-market teams drowning in SIMs, fragmented systems, and delayed reporting, he shows how well-designed data foundations and targeted automation can unlock 50% more deal capacity without adding headcount. In this conversation, he breaks down what actually drives time-to-value and why AI only works when it’s built directly into the way investment teams operate.

You’ll Learn:

• Why most firms struggle to move from AI ideas to execution—and how to bridge the gap with standardized workflows.
• How private equity and private credit differ in their AI needs, and what each must prioritize to move faster.
• Where diligence and reporting break down, and which parts of underwriting can be automated for immediate wins.
• A four-stage framework (align → blueprint → deliver → expand) for bringing AI into core investment functions.
• How a private credit firm cut memo-creation time by 70% and increased deal capacity by 50% through systematization and automation.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:42 What Soal Labs Does
03:04 Why Osman Entered the PE/PC Data Space
05:06 Indicators a Firm Is Truly Forward-Looking
07:13 Biggest Bottlenecks in Diligence & Reporting
09:08 How AI Conversations Have Shifted
10:41 How Middle-Market Funds Should Prioritize AI
12:12 The Four-Stage Transformation Framework
15:25 Time-to-Value & What Can Be Done in Weeks
16:11 Private Credit Case Study: The Initial Problem
17:32 Diagnosing the Root Causes
19:39 System Design & Integration Choices
20:48 Trade-Offs: Standardization vs. Flexibility
22:19 Driving Adoption Through Co-Design
23:22 Results: 70% Faster Memos & 50% More Deal Capacity
24:27 Lessons Learned
25:37 Misconceptions About AI Platforms
26:37 Why Projects Get Stuck
27:46 Moving Teams From “Cool Idea” to Business Impact
28:42 Close

Links:

• Explore more interviews and Osman Ghandour's expert profile: https://www.justcurious.io/experts/osman-ghandour
• Connect with Osman Ghandour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osman-a-ghandour/
• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_-Wt-CGkPxc

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