We make technology work for you.
We run training, lead workshops, and build software that helps teams get really good at the tools and technology already in front of them. Right now that means AI, but it’s the same work we’ve been doing since 2018: closing the gap between “we bought it” and “people are actually using it well.”
Startwise was founded by people who’ve shipped AI inside real companies, not just talked about it. We exist to make that experience available to teams who need it, without the big-firm overhead that usually comes with it.
AI is a people problem, not a technology problem.
Most AI initiatives fail in the middle, after the pilot but before the value. The technology is ready. The vendors are everywhere. What’s missing is someone who’s been through enough of these cycles to know where the real friction is: in the org chart, in the change management, in the mismatch between what a model can do and what a team is actually ready to do with it.
We started Startwise because we kept running into the same situation: a capable team, a real AI opportunity, and no one with the pattern recognition to connect them. Big consulting firms charge for armies of people and deliver slide decks. Vendors have products to sell. We wanted a third option: senior practitioners with no agenda other than helping things actually work.
That’s still what this is. Small, senior, and pointed at outcomes. The founders are the team. When you work with Startwise, you’re working with us directly. Not a project manager who briefs us on Fridays.
Who you’ll actually work with.
Scott Taylor
Founder
A West Point graduate trained in Systems Engineering, Scott served as a US Army Signal Officer training other officers in communications and networking. Before Startwise, he was a serial entrepreneur, then scaled sales at Andela, led sales at Appsembler, and ran accounts at Trusted Health.
Adam Lupu
Founder
Adam is a learning scientist with 25 years building learning programs across North America, Africa, and Europe. Before Startwise, he was VP of Learning at Andela, led learning at Udemy and Udacity (where he helped design the Nanodegree program), and earned an MA in Learning Sciences from Northwestern.
How we got here.
Every phase of Startwise has made us better at the one thing that matters most: helping people get good at their tools.
2018 to 2020
Operations consulting
We started in the trenches, helping businesses untangle operations, fix broken processes, and build strategies that actually stuck. 50+ engagements. No fluff, even then.
2021 to 2022
Software for real problems
We moved from advising to building, turning our consulting playbooks into SaaS tools so teams that couldn't afford a full engagement could still get the value.
2022 to 2023
Training takes center stage
We kept seeing the same gap everywhere: great tools, confused people. So we shifted focus to the skills side, with structured programs and workshops that close the adoption gap.
2024 to today
AI for every workplace
AI is the biggest tool shift workplaces have seen in a generation. We guide people, from skeptics to power users, through learning it, using it daily, and making it stick.
A few things we believe deeply.
Real work, not decks
We write code, run workshops, and embed with your team. Advice without execution is just expensive opinion.
Small on purpose
We're not trying to become a big firm. Staying small means we stay sharp, and you always know who's doing the work.
Honest scope
We tell you what we can't do as clearly as we tell you what we can. The wrong engagement is worse than no engagement.
Proof before persuasion
We show first, then explain. You shouldn't have to take our word for it. You should be able to see it working.
Progress over perfection
You don't need to master AI. You need to be better with it than you were last month. That's the bar we hold for every client.
Spend 20 minutes with us.
The best way to see if we’re a fit is a quick conversation. No pitch, no deck, just a real discussion about what you’re working on and where the friction is. We’ll tell you honestly whether we can help, and if we can’t, who can.