AI has hit a real inflection point, and the gap between those who build and those who wait is growing fast. Rather than theorise about what comes next, we have assembled a small, focused team of exceptional engineers inside Framna to do the only thing that matters. Build. We call it Banzai, and we are selecting five companies to build a working proof of concept for, at no cost, to show what is possible when you start with action rather than strategy.
I am changing my title for a moment. From today, I am the acting Director of Banzai by Framna. AI has reached a genuine inflection point. The pace of development is extraordinary, and the gap between those who act and those who observe is widening by the day. For most companies, the instinct is to wait. To read one more report, attend one more conference, build one more strategy deck. But strategy without execution is just commentary. And in a space that moves this fast, the cost of waiting is higher than the cost of starting.
Rather than trying to predict where this goes, we are doing the only thing we can right now. Build. As we have always done, because we are builders. And just the act of starting to build puts you in front of almost everyone else. Banzai is a result of that conviction.
A skunkworks team, not a consulting arm
Banzai is a small, focused team inside Framna. Some of the best builders I know. We have not assembled this group to do AI theatre, run workshops, conduct audits, or produce a 40-page strategy deck that dies in someone's SharePoint. We want to build things that live. Things that move real processes forward and make a measurable difference in how teams work.
The focus is on the kind of friction that quietly drains most organisations. Repetitive workflows, manual document handling, back-office processes ripe for automation, and compliance or legal operations that demand precision but offer little creative reward. These are the areas where AI can deliver immediate, tangible value. Not in the abstract, but in daily practice.
Build first, talk later
Many companies are approaching AI by deploying general-purpose tools across the organisation. A reasonable starting point, but rarely one that changes the way people actually work. Banzai takes a different approach. Instead of broad adoption, the team looks for specific, well-defined problems where a working solution can be built quickly and tested in context.
To prove that this works, we are selecting five projects where the team will build a fully functional proof of concept at no cost. The trade-off is straightforward. We need access to a real problem and enough context to build something meaningful. That usually means sharing a bit of your process or data. We are looking for organisations with clear workflows to improve, a willingness to move fast, and the appetite to bypass internal politics in favour of progress.
If the proof of concept delivers, we move to production. If it does not, both sides will have learned something valuable, and we will be the first to say so.
The future belongs to builders
At its core, Banzai reflects a belief that has guided everything we do at Framna and Upright Capital. The future belongs to those who start. Who put something real into the world and iterate from there. Building is how we learn, how we lead, and how we earn the right to talk about what comes next.
If this resonates, we would welcome a conversation ❤️
