Switchboard
AI transformation studio that owns strategy through delivery — a fixed-price workflow audit, then custom agents built and deployed by the same team.
What it is
Switchboard is a consultancy and product studio, not a self-serve SaaS tool, built around a two-phase engagement. The AI Jumpstart (two to eight weeks, fixed price) maps a client's workflows, audits their tech stack, and delivers an interactive AI-opportunity prototype. The Deployment Studio retainer that follows has the same team build and deploy the production software and manage the change management, so there's no handoff between a consulting team and a separate engineering team. One cited client result: a lending operations client saw 4x faster loan close times, $950K in operating costs cut, and 12 tools consolidated down to one. Co-founded by Justin Watt (CEO, ex-IBM, later Metalab) and Joanna Li (COO), the team is remote-first across Canada and the US.
Who it's for
Mid-market companies (roughly 100-1,000 employees) wanting to embed AI agents into core operations rather than bolt on generic SaaS tools.
Why it's better
- •Single team owns strategy through delivery, no handoff between consulting and engineering.
- •Fixed-price, fixed-scope initial engagement (2-8 weeks) before any retainer commitment.
- •Concrete, named client ROI: 4x faster loan closing, $950K cost cut, 12-to-1 tool consolidation.
- •Founders are operators (IBM, Metalab) rather than pure AI/ML specialists, and target the mid-market specifically.
Heard on AI for Founders
Switchboard was featured in an episode of the AI for Founders podcast. Hear the full conversation.
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