Business AI Explained
Business AI Explained is a podcast for founders and go-to-market teams who want to understand how AI creates real business impact.
Hosted by Vlad de Ziegler, the show features conversations with builders, operators, and revenue leaders implementing AI in sales, marketing, RevOps, and customer success.
Expect real examples, real constraints, and clear lessons from AI in production, not theory.
Business AI Explained
AI in Operations for Hardware Companies - Eliott Wertheimer, VanMoof CEO
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AI in operations for hardware companies looks very different from AI in software, especially after a bankruptcy.
Eliott Wertheimer is the CEO of VanMoof, the iconic European e-bike brand rebuilding after bankruptcy.
In this episode of Business AI Explained, we explore AI in operations for hardware companies and what it takes to rebuild trust, reliability, and economics in a physical product business.
We cover:
- Why VanMoof’s brand survived bankruptcy
- The economics that killed VanMoof 1.0 (low margins, returns, D2C)
- Rebuilding trust through over-delivery, not marketing promises
- Where AI actually fits in hardware companies (support, supply chain, maintenance)
- Why AI should be an operational tool, not a product feature
- Why brand and design matter more as hardware gets easier to build
This episode is for founders, operators, and product leaders working on hardware, consumer brands, or complex operations and trying to apply AI without breaking trust.
Episode length: ~40 minutes
👤 ABOUT THE GUEST
Eliott Wertheimer
CEO of VanMoof
Former McLaren (Lavoie), founder of Fuero Systems
Aerospace engineer turned hardware operator
→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliott-wertheimer-6910a1b6/
→ Company: https://www.vanmoof.com/
🔗 WORK WITH VLAD
If you’re implementing AI in your operations and want hands-on help building real workflows:
👉 https://www.elementsagents.com/
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New episodes every Tuesday.