Just Curious: Applied AI for Value Creation
Just Curious helps investors and operators turn AI from buzzword to bottom line. Through sharp case studies and practical insights from the world's leading applied AI experts, we explore how to use AI to grow revenue, expand margins, build better products, and create value.
Just Curious: Applied AI for Value Creation
Csongor Barabasi - Bonsai Labs | From POC to 7-Figure ARR in 6 Months: Bonsai Labs’ AI Playbook for PE-Backed Companies
Csongor Barabasi, CEO of Bonsai Labs, helps private equity–backed B2B software companies ship AI products that generate real EBITDA impact. Working with top global PE funds, his team has repeatedly taken companies from idea to paying customers in as little as a few weeks—often unlocking new ARR and defending market share against AI-native competitors. He explains why most AI efforts stall, how to validate use cases fast, and what it takes to turn domain knowledge into production-grade AI workflows.
You’ll Learn:
- How to validate high-ROI AI use cases in 4–6 weeks without waiting on long, expensive data-transformation projects.
- Why evaluation datasets, first-answer correctness, and weekly iteration cycles are essential for launch-ready AI.
- How to redesign legacy processes through an AI-native lens to reduce busywork and unlock revenue opportunities.
- The engineering practices Bonsai Labs uses to reach production in 4–12 weeks, even in complex domains.
- How incumbents can neutralize AI-native challengers by pairing distribution advantages with elite execution speed.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:42 Who Csongor Is & What Bonsai Labs Does
03:04 Career Path & Why He Built Bonsai Labs
06:15 Common Mistakes in AI Adoption
08:04 How Leaders Should Approach POCs
09:13 CTO Concerns & Engineering Challenges
11:18 People, Process & Product in AI Transformation
13:53 The Four-Step Build Process
17:26 Legal AI Case Study
20:24 Revenue Impact & Lessons for Incumbents
23:49 PE-Backed Legacy Software Case Study
26:21 How Bonsai Labs Differs From Dev Shops
30:53 Misconceptions About Launching AI Products
32:28 Building High-Performing AI Teams
34:28 What Leaders Should Stop Doing With POCs
36:02 Who Should Reach Out to Bonsai Labs
Links:
- Explore more interviews and Csongor Barabasi’s expert profile: https://www.justcurious.io/experts/csongor-barabasi
- Connect with Csongor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barabasicsongor/
- Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LEfWNjaT_Lg
Just Curious helps the world’s leading operators and investors cut through a noisy AI market and find the right partners — from strategy and assessments to full-stack AI development. Our network of applied AI experts spans generative and agentic AI, workflow automation, and custom software powered by AI, helping teams turn curiosity into measurable value.
Explore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.justcurious.io
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