AI Consulting for Private Equity
Turn AI Strategy Into Production Systems Across Your Portfolio.
RTS Labs is the execution partner that walks into a portfolio company, fixes the data foundation, builds the workflow, and proves operating impact — then turns the win into a playbook you reuse across the portfolio.
Delivery-first since day one. Trusted by PE firms & their operating companies. Phase 1 scoped to a single operating metric.
Strategy
Production
Source Systems
Core · warehouse · docs · email
Siloed
Extraction & RAG
Documents → structured, searchable data
Models & guardrails
Scoring · evaluation · monitoring
In production
Integrated · audited · owned by your team
Live
Trusted by Private Equity Firms and the Companies They Back
Why It Matters
After the 100-Day Plan, Someone Has to Build.
The value creation plan names the opportunity. The hard part is the messy execution layer — where AI either becomes operating impact or dies as another pilot.
Where Most Teams Are Stuck
The data layer isn’t ready — fragmented, inconsistent, or inaccessible
The use case is too broad and the workflow isn’t specific enough
The tool doesn’t integrate with ERP, CRM, accounting, or reporting
Nobody owns adoption inside the PortCo, so usage never takes hold
Where RTS Labs Takes You
We clean and connect the data foundation first
We scope phase 1 to a single operating metric
We integrate into the tools the PortCo team already uses
We turn the win into a playbook you reuse across the portfolio
Sound Familiar?
The Problems We're Actually Called In to Solve.
No hype, no transformation theater. These are the operating pains we hear from CIOs, CDOs, COOs, and heads of risk every week — and the ones our builds are designed to remove.
“Interested in AI, not ready to ship.”
Your PortCos are interested in AI, but most are not ready to implement it.
“The data is scattered.”
The business has data, but it’s scattered across systems, spreadsheets, and reports.
“Urgent plan, overloaded team.”
The value creation plan creates urgency, but the operating team is already overloaded.
“Point tools that don't connect.”
Point tools solve one workflow but don’t connect to the full operating model.
“Demos that fail on real data.”
AI demos look impressive but fail when they hit real data and legacy systems.
“Measured in accuracy, not impact.”
You need measurable impact, but most AI projects are measured in model accuracy, not operating metrics.
Where We Apply It
Use Cases We Ship Into Production.
Specific financial workflows — not generic “AI solutions.” Filter by the part of the business you’re trying to move.
Foundations
PortCo Readiness & Data Mapping
Pain
Pilots stall because the data layer isn’t ready.
We Build
A readiness audit plus system-and-data mapping that makes the foundation real first.
Impact
A foundation the next three builds can stand on.
For: Operating Partner
Foundations
Data Pipelines & Quality
Pain
Operational data is fragmented and inconsistent across systems.
We Build
Pipelines, quality checks, and master-data cleanup so data is trustworthy enough to act on.
Impact
Better data quality and faster time to insight.
For: PortCo CIO
Foundations
KPI Standardization
Pain
Every PortCo defines its metrics differently.
We Build
Standardized KPI definitions and governance patterns across the portfolio.
Impact
One definition of truth across the portfolio.
For: Portfolio Operations
Operating Intelligence
Cross-Portfolio KPI Dashboards
Pain
Reporting is manual and inconsistent across companies.
We Build
Cross-portfolio KPI dashboards and executive reporting packs from the source systems.
Impact
Faster time to value and consistent reporting.
For: Value Creation Team
Operating Intelligence
Month-End Automation & Variance
Pain
Month-end close is manual and slow.
We Build
Month-end automation with variance explanation and benchmarking.
Impact
Shorter close cycles with explainable numbers.
For: PortCo CFO
Operating Intelligence
Acquisition Onboarding Model
Pain
Every new acquisition reinvents reporting from scratch.
We Build
A repeatable onboarding model that brings new acquisitions onto the standard quickly.
Impact
Faster integration of new platforms.
For: Deal Operations
Copilots
Operations & Finance Copilots
Pain
Frontline teams drown in lookups, SOPs, and context-switching.
We Build
Sales, service, operations, and finance copilots grounded in the PortCo’s own systems.
Impact
Less time hunting for context, more time deciding.
For: PortCo Leadership
Copilots
SOP & Knowledge Assistant
Pain
Answers to SOP, policy, and process questions are tribal knowledge.
We Build
A knowledge assistant that answers from the PortCo’s documents, with sources.
Impact
Consistent answers that don’t depend on who’s on shift.
For: Operations
Agentic & Reuse
Agentic Workflow Automation
Pain
High-volume, repetitive coordination eats operating capacity.
We Build
Controlled agents that route, chase, draft, and reconcile — with humans on exceptions.
Impact
Routine work handled automatically; exceptions escalated to people.
For: COO
Agentic & Reuse
Portfolio Playbook & Reuse
Pain
Each PortCo solves the same problems differently; lessons don’t transfer.
We Build
A productized pattern — reusable data model and deployment kit — rolled out across similar companies.
Impact
The second deployment is faster and cheaper than the first.
For: Portfolio Sponsor
Foundations
PortCo Readiness & Data Mapping
Pain
Pilots stall because the data layer isn’t ready.
We Build
A readiness audit plus system-and-data mapping that makes the foundation real first.
Impact
A foundation the next three builds can stand on.
For: Operating Partner
Foundations
Data Pipelines & Quality
Pain
Operational data is fragmented and inconsistent across systems.
We Build
Pipelines, quality checks, and master-data cleanup so data is trustworthy enough to act on.
Impact
Better data quality and faster time to insight.
For: PortCo CIO
Foundations
KPI Standardization
Pain
Every PortCo defines its metrics differently.
We Build
Standardized KPI definitions and governance patterns across the portfolio.
Impact
One definition of truth across the portfolio.
For: Portfolio Operations
Operating Intelligence
Cross-Portfolio KPI Dashboards
Pain
Reporting is manual and inconsistent across companies.
We Build
Cross-portfolio KPI dashboards and executive reporting packs from the source systems.
Impact
Faster time to value and consistent reporting.
For: Value Creation Team
Operating Intelligence
Month-End Automation & Variance
Pain
Month-end close is manual and slow.
We Build
Month-end automation with variance explanation and benchmarking.
Impact
Shorter close cycles with explainable numbers.
For: PortCo CFO
Operating Intelligence
Acquisition Onboarding Model
Pain
Every new acquisition reinvents reporting from scratch.
We Build
A repeatable onboarding model that brings new acquisitions onto the standard quickly.
Impact
Faster integration of new platforms.
For: Deal Operations
Copilots
Operations & Finance Copilots
Pain
Frontline teams drown in lookups, SOPs, and context-switching.
We Build
Sales, service, operations, and finance copilots grounded in the PortCo’s own systems.
Impact
Less time hunting for context, more time deciding.
For: PortCo Leadership
Copilots
SOP & Knowledge Assistant
Pain
Answers to SOP, policy, and process questions are tribal knowledge.
We Build
A knowledge assistant that answers from the PortCo’s documents, with sources.
Impact
Consistent answers that don’t depend on who’s on shift.
For: Operations
Agentic & Reuse
Agentic Workflow Automation
Pain
High-volume, repetitive coordination eats operating capacity.
We Build
Controlled agents that route, chase, draft, and reconcile — with humans on exceptions.
Impact
Routine work handled automatically; exceptions escalated to people.
For: COO
Agentic & Reuse
Portfolio Playbook & Reuse
Pain
Each PortCo solves the same problems differently; lessons don’t transfer.
We Build
A productized pattern — reusable data model and deployment kit — rolled out across similar companies.
Impact
The second deployment is faster and cheaper than the first.
For: Portfolio Sponsor
How We Partner
One PortCo. One Workflow. Then a Portfolio Playbook.
We don’t boil the ocean. We prove value in one place, measure it honestly, and turn the win into a pattern you reuse.
1
Pick the Right PortCo and Workflow
Choose a business where the pain is visible, leadership is engaged, data is reachable, and the metric matters.
A defensible “why this one first”
2
Audit the Data and Systems
We map ERP, CRM, accounting, inventory, service, and reporting flows — and surface the False Readiness Signal before you spend.
A readiness score + costed roadmap
3
Build a Focused Phase 1
We ship a working solution tied to one operating metric, integrated into the tools the team already uses, with oversight built in.
A production system, not a prototype
4
Measure, Then Build the Playbook
We track usage and movement in the target metric, then reuse the pattern across other PortCos — faster and cheaper each time.
A repeatable asset that compounds
Why RTS Labs
The Team That Builds It — Not Just the One That Recommends It.
Plenty of firms will write you a strategy. Fewer will stand up the production system, own the data and security, and stay past the demo. Here’s how we compare to the usual options: big consulting firms, offshore dev shops, and AI prototype vendors.
Big Consulting Firms
Offshore Dev Shops
AI Prototype Vendors
Ships Production Systems, Not Slide Decks
Senior Engineers on Your Account
Owns Data, Security & Governance
Phase 1 Live in Weeks, Not Quarters
Stays Past the Demo — Eval & Monitoring
Measured in Operating Metrics, Not Model Accuracy
See It in Action
Watch How We Ship AI Into Production.
A short look at how RTS Labs takes a financial workflow from stuck pilot to a system your team runs every day — the data work, the guardrails, and the handoff. No buzzwords, just the build.
Why PE Operating Partners Trust Us to Build
Credibility You Can Check Before You Commit.
No vanity metrics. These are the things that decide whether an AI system survives contact with production, compliance, and your risk team.
Delivery-First
We’re measured by what ships and the operating metric it moves — not by the size of the deck.
Production AI Systems
Integrated into each PortCo’s ERP, CRM, and reporting systems — running in their environment, not a sandbox.
Data Foundation First
We make fragmented, inconsistent operational data trustworthy before we build on it.
Operating-Metric Outcomes
We agree on the operating metric we’re moving before we start, and report against it.
Senior Engineering Oversight
Experienced engineers own the architecture and the result — not a rotating bench of juniors.
Security & Auditability
Permissions, governance, and an audit trail designed in from day one — not bolted on later.
Cross-Portfolio Reuse
We turn one win into a reusable playbook so the next deployment is faster and cheaper.
Adoption Ownership
We drive adoption inside the PortCo so usage takes hold — the system removes work, not adds it.
Practical Phase 1 Delivery
A scoped, production-ready first build that earns the right to scale across the portfolio.
Proof
What It Looks Like When It Ships.
One representative engagement, plus the template we use to capture results. Metrics appear as slots — we populate them with your real, audited figures.
Private Equity · Operating Intelligence
Cross-Portfolio Reporting, Rebuilt as a Live System
A buy-and-build platform had every operating company defining its metrics differently, with manual month-end close. RTS Labs standardized the KPIs, automated month-end, and built cross-portfolio dashboards on one trusted data foundation.
“We went from chasing month-end spreadsheets to one definition of truth across the portfolio.”
— Operating Partner, Lower-Middle-Market PE
Case Study Template · Copilots
Operations Copilot Inside a PortCo
Problem
Frontline teams burned hours on lookups, SOPs, and context-switching.
What RTS Built
An operations copilot grounded in the PortCo’s own systems and documents.
Metrics to Collect
Hours returned · adoption · cycle time
Case Study Template · Foundations
PortCo Readiness & Data Foundation
Problem
The data layer was too fragmented for AI to work reliably.
What RTS Built
A readiness audit, system mapping, pipelines, and KPI standardization.
Metrics to Collect
Data quality · time to insight · readiness score
Our Clients' Words
Testimonials
Dumpster Dudez
- Brian Johnson | President
National Center for Teacher Residencies
- Chris Lozier | COO
Blue Ocean Brain
- Gemma Brooks | COO
Momentum Holdings
- Carol Trotter | Momentum Holdings
eComEngine
- Erica Rowe | Director of Product Engineering
Holon Health
- Jason Herzog | CEO
Questions, Answered Straight
Before You Talk to Us.
Our PortCos want AI but aren't ready. Where do we start?
We start with a readiness audit on one operating company, fix the data foundation, and scope a phase 1 around a single operating metric — the lowest-risk way to prove value.
Is the PortCo's data good enough for AI?
Often not yet — and that’s the project. We surface the False Readiness Signal: data that looks ready on a slide but is too fragmented in practice, and we make it ready first.
How do you handle security and auditability?
Permissions, governance patterns, and an audit trail are designed in from day one — so the PortCo’s IT and the firm’s diligence teams can say yes.
How long until something is in production?
A focused Phase 1 is measured in weeks, not quarters. One PortCo, one workflow, one operating metric — shipped and measured before you scale.
How does this scale across the portfolio?
We turn the first win into a productized playbook — a reusable data model and deployment kit — so rollout across similar PortCos is faster and cheaper.
How do you measure impact?
In operating terms tied to the value creation plan — usage, cycle time, manual hours removed, and movement in the target metric — not model accuracy.
Let's Talk
Bring Us One PortCo and One Operating Metric.
Start with a readiness audit and a phase-1 build scoped to a single metric — the lowest-risk way to prove value before you scale across the portfolio.
A senior engineer on the call — not a salesperson
A straight read on feasibility, data, and effort
A practical first step, whether or not you work with us