This essay explains why we chose the harder path—to build a full-stack AI investment bank to compete with the large incumbents, rather than sell SaaS directly to them. The thesis is simple: M&A will always matter, but legacy banks are structurally unable to run AI-native workflows, and therefore will be unable to capture the full upside.

Anecdotally, we have seen a surprisingly consistent pattern in the financial data of AI companies, with gross margins often in the 50-60% range – well below the 60-80%+ benchmark for comparable SaaS businesses. Early-stage private capital can hide these inefficiencies in the short term, especially as some investors push for growth over... See more