We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Korte. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Over the past two years, we have all heard about AI. The news usually mentions big players like Meta or OpenAI. However, reporters spend little time on the many players who turn the underlying technology into user-friendly applications. Yet, the companies that enhance the customer service experience, automate editorial workflows, or create meeting notes for us are far more exciting. They are also more likely to benefit organizations.
Organizations slowly realize that the applications matter more than the underlying AI model. Consequently, AI applications make their way into IT and business strategies. Yet, the respective strategy will rise and fall with the resources available to the IT and legal departments. From large-scale customer-focused projects to outsourcing copy editing, matching the projects with the company’s needs and the available resources will help make the most of the budding field.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a Board Member, Advisor, Technologist, and Angel Investor, I help companies get their products into the market. With a unique understanding of IT and business, I have established a proven track record of harnessing commercial acumen with finance expertise.
One of my key strengths is my ability to secure corporate and individual support. I focus on business strategy development, risk analysis, and going to market to build a solid customer base and grow new market segments. I nurture strong relationships with high-profile industry players and key partners, articulating the organizational mission, values, and strategies to generate and sustain industry interest and secure support.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The first commercial board I joined was a Board of Advisors. The agenda for the first meeting had several topics on which I was an expert. Yet, there were also some topics on which I could say something generally, but others on the board had much more subject matter experience. Before the meeting, I was extremely nervous that I might not have been able to contribute something to every agenda item.
Thankfully, at the same time, I was working with my mentor. Under his counsel, I could focus on my expertise and the contributions of others in their areas of expertise. In the end, asking for explanations and clarifications during the meeting and actively listening to my fellow board members and the management was much more important than trying to be the expert in everything.
After all, finding gaps and problems can be done by asking the right questions and carefully listening to the answers. Especially on the board, it isn’t expected to come up with solutions on your own, but instead, take the 10.000 ft view, find issues down the road, and provide feedback to the management.
Yet, it is very different from an executive’s job, and it takes much mental resilience to build up the distance between the day job and board membership.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

Selling a business is part of Angel Investing. Most of the exits I’ve had as an investor happened because another company bought out the company. To make that happen, founders need to be aware of why companies are bought. The least important thing is that the buyer might want your technology. Next, the buyer desires your staff. Most importantly, the buyer might want your reputation and clients.
Optimizing sales within a target group, maintaining a focus on your vision and mission, and keeping your employees happy can all contribute to finding the right buyer. Most transactions don’t fail because there is no buyer; most fail because the company has deficits insiders cannot see.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.korte.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevindkorte/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeDKorte
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KevinDominikKorte