AI is changing how new businesses are designed. This webcast features Matt Stewart of Disruptive Edge providing a hands-on walkthrough of some AI-native tools they’re using to reshape early-stage innovation. Matt explores how to:
- Map business models using logic-based, AI-informed frameworks
- Forecast revenue and spot operational risks dynamically
- Simulate go-to-market strategies with agents that behave like real customers, competitors, and market forces.
Below, you can download the slides from this webcast in PDF form. Here are five key themes covered in the webcast:
1. AI as a New Partner in Business Design
Stewart frames AI not just as a tool but as a thought partner and even a co-founder in business design. He emphasizes that current AI is best understood as being “equal to a human being who can do research” rather than hyper-intelligent. The value lies in quickly generating starting points—ecosystem maps, business model canvases, and strategic options—so teams can spend more time on strategy and less on setup.
2. Transforming Financial Modeling and Forecasting
Stewart critiques the use of Excel for creating forecasts, noting that they can hide “assumptions that actually Stewarter” within complex spreadsheets. His team built AI-powered forecast tools that make assumptions and sensitivities visible in real time. He highlights the ability to play around and see how the model changes, and even embed dynamic rules (e.g., manufacturing costs dropping after 12 months) to have scenarios adjust adaptively.
3. Simulating Go-to-Market Strategies
Stewart stresses that “go-to-markets never work out as you expect” and argues that AI-driven simulations and “war gaming” can help teams anticipate pitfalls. By using synthetic personas and agent-based simulations, his tools surface likely challenges—such as UX friction or pricing confusion—and test different interventions before real money is spent.
4. Synthetic Personas and the Balance with Real Data
While he advocates synthetic personas as useful for early testing, Stewart is careful to point out their limits: “Synthetic personas don’t buy anything from you.” He stresses the need for continuous validation with real customer interviews and feedback loops. In his view, personas are strategy checks and accelerators, not replacements for evidence from real markets.
5. Implications for Corporates and Consulting
Stewart argues that corporations must embed AI into innovation immediately: “The innovation team definitely needs to essentially become the AI innovation team at any large corporate at this point of time.” On consulting, he is provocative: “I think consulting will die in a broader sense,” but also insists that today consulting is “more critical for large companies than ever,” since many corporates lack access to frontier tools or the know-how to deploy them effectively.
Speaker Bio
Matt Stewart, Innovation Leader and Design Strategist, Disruptive Edge
Matt Stewart is an Innovation Leader and Design Strategist with 10+ years of global experience across 20+ countries. He’s led innovation for Fortune 500 firms and startups alike, specializing in insight generation, product testing, and ecosystem design. Matt brings a unique blend of creativity and business acumen to every engagement.
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