You cannot compare what each company measures differently.
Make AI a value-creation plan across your portfolio.
Help portfolio companies embed AI in strategy and operations. We support diligence, deal preparation and measurable value creation, including the transition from SaaS to AI-enabled business models.
of US institutional investors say strong AI governance makes them more likely to invest (survey of 302, US only).
KPMG, 2026 Private Company Investors Surveyof AI-using UK businesses reported no change in revenue from AI (self-reported).
DSIT AI adoption research, 2026of UK employees say they have used AI tools their employer did not approve (vendor survey).
Microsoft UK / Censuswide, 2025Six problems for a partner, an operating partner or an investment director.
of US institutional investors say strong AI governance makes them more likely to invest. Expect the question in UK diligence too.
KPMG, 2026 (US sample of 302)Each reports AI use in its own words, or not at all. What it costs you: no portfolio view of exposure, and no way to spot the outlier early.
Buyers and lenders are starting to ask. What it costs you: delay or a lower price at exit, for work that could have been done earlier.
Grant Thornton's 2026 survey of 950 leaders describes an AI proof gap in private equity: high confidence, but less ability to show AI is auditable and producing measurable value. What it costs you: valuation arguments resting on narrative.
AI cost follows use and can jump with a supplier's pricing. What it costs you: runway burned on a cost nobody forecast.
IBM's 2025 UK research found that high shadow AI use added on average £498,000 to a breach (vendor research). What it costs you: loss, and a conversation with the board you did not want.
Controls, registers and records take time that early-stage teams do not have. What it costs you: scarce engineering focus, or controls skipped.
Treat AI control as a comparable measure, the way you treat cash and churn.
A single method applied to every holding turns anecdotes into a ranking. The same questions, the same evidence and the same score let you see which companies are ahead, which are exposed and which will struggle in diligence. It also turns control from a drag into an asset: a company that can show what AI it uses, what it costs and who owns it is easier to back and easier to sell. The aim is to protect value without slowing founders.
GenWA view. KPMG (2026) and Grant Thornton (2026) support the direction of investor expectations.
Six ways to get a comparable read on each company.
Register, Usage Insight, Board Report and Value Register are in early access. Evidence Packs and Compliance Mapping are available. We confirm in writing what you receive.
The Independent AI Audit gives you, not only the founder, a view of a company's AI use, cost and risk, with a 90-day plan.
See advisoryThe AI Effectiveness Index scores adoption, control, efficiency and return from each company's own answers and data, so holdings can be compared.
Register lists the tools, accounts and agents in use and who owns each.
About RegisterWhat it costs and returnsValue Register and Usage Insight record spend, benefit and cost for each use of AI.
About Value RegisterEvidence ready for diligenceEvidence Packs produce the register, data-flow map, control matrix and exception log on request.
About Evidence PacksA regular reportBoard Report gives each company's board one page of usage, spend, issues and value on a regular cycle.
About Board ReportThree moves for an investor.
Three routes, matched to where a holding sits.
An independent audit and plan for a holding, so you get a read that does not rely on self-reporting.
See advisoryProductRegister, Board Report and Evidence Packs for companies that want the view kept current. Hosted in the company's AWS or Azure account, or by GenWA on AWS as agreed.
See Evidence PacksAcceleratorFor founder-led businesses: the platform and an embedded AI team, paid for by equity, project, retainer or licence. Ten places a year, by application. Terms are agreed deal by deal.
See the AcceleratorThe three people on the other side of the table.
Owns the answer on AI use and the pace of adoption.
For the CEOPortfolio finance leadOwns the cost view and the measure of return.
For the CFOCarries the comparison across holdings and the follow-up.
A coding tool moved from a flat plan to metered credits, and allowances ran out in days.
In mid-2025 Cursor changed its $20 plan from a fixed number of requests to a pool of credits. Some users found their allowance used up within days, and the company apologised and offered refunds. For an investor, the point is not the supplier. It is that a cost a founder treated as fixed turned variable overnight, and few companies had a meter or a cap in place.
Reported by TechCrunch, June and July 2025. Public incident. GenWA had no involvement.
Want to see a comparable read across holdings?
Book a demo and we will walk through the Index and an evidence pack built from example data.
- SaaS businesses whose differentiation is being challenged by AI
- Portfolio companies moving at different speeds with little comparable evidence
- Deal sourcing and diligence that consume scarce team time
- AI claims that do not translate into a defensible valuation story
- A value-creation plan without a funded AI operating strategy
- Assess AI exposure and opportunities in each holding
- Support sourcing, evaluation, diligence and fundraising preparation
- Build an evidence-led plan for AI-enabled products and operations
- Track outcomes and time to value through comparable board packs
- Test the enterprise-value story without promising a valuation premium
Help portfolio companies embed AI in strategy and operations. We support diligence, deal preparation and measurable value creation, including the transition from SaaS to AI-enabled business models.
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Starting figures are examples. Edit the assumptions for your own work. This estimates released capacity, not guaranteed cash savings.
Challenges
Method: tasks × (current minutes × assumed reduction − review minutes) ÷ 60. Capacity value = net hours × loaded hourly cost. Implementation cost and revenue effects are excluded.
Keep reading
Straight answers.
How can an investor assess AI risk across portfolio companies?
Use the same method for each. The AI Effectiveness Index scores adoption, control, efficiency and return from each company's own answers and data, and an independent audit gives a read on exposure and a 90-day plan, so you compare without relying on self-reporting.
Should founders handle AI governance themselves?
They remain responsible. An independent audit gives the investor a read that does not depend on self-reporting, without slowing founders. For early-stage founders, the Accelerator provides the platform and the team, so runway goes into the product.
What does the Accelerator cost, and how do we pay?
Terms are agreed deal by deal, with a term sheet before anything is signed. Any equity figures shown on the site are illustrative and not an offer. There are ten places a year, by application, for founder-led businesses.
What does an investor receive from the audit?
A read on a company's AI exposure and a 90-day plan, with first findings and a full audit. Indicative fees, excluding VAT, are £7,500, £12,500 or £19,500 by company size, confirmed in writing and Fees and any credit are agreed in writing.
Will the company share the results with us?
Sharing is agreed with the company. The audit belongs to the business that commissions it. The company can choose to give the investor the summary, and we can prepare a one-page version for that purpose.
Can this support diligence at exit?
Evidence Packs produce a register, data-flow map, control matrix and exception log for the period asked, which can answer a buyer's questions about AI control. The buyer decides what is sufficient. This supports preparation and is not legal advice.
How does a portfolio company get started?
The company starts with the AI health check, using the questionnaire, a usage-export check run locally in the browser, or a visit. Results are summarised for its board, and the investor can ask for the summary, subject to what the company agrees to share.
How do we choose the first AI investment?
Assess AI exposure and opportunities in each holding. We start with the problem, the accountable owner and a baseline. Agree a small scope, the cost of delivery and a measurable test before scaling.
How should we measure time to value?
Measure the elapsed time from an agreed start to the first accepted business outcome. Include setup, integration, human review and rework. A faster prototype is useful, but it is not the same as a result your business can use.
How does GenWA work with our team?
Choose the support you need: advice, modules, a scoped build, incubation or acceleration. We can build and run alongside your team. Your named people retain supervision and consequential decisions. Scope, fees, hosting and any outcome-based arrangements are agreed in writing.
Get a comparable read on AI across your holdings.
Indicative audit fees exclude VAT and are confirmed in writing. Accelerator terms are agreed deal by deal.
Research behind these priorities
The five priorities are GenWA’s editorial selection, informed by the sources below and your role. The 2027 opportunities are planning scenarios, not a survey ranking or forecast.