ForthClover
AI Strategy

Know what to build before you spend.

Senior, vendor-neutral advice on where AI pays off in your business: which use cases to back, whether to build or buy, which models and data you need, what governance applies, and a 90-day plan to prove the first one. It starts with a free 45-minute call.

Book a free fit callSee how it works
Questions we answer

Plenty of AI ideas. Not enough proof.

Most teams don’t lack ideas. They lack a way to choose between them. Models change every few months, vendors claim the same features, and new rules are arriving. These are the questions we help you settle.
You get a straight answer, including “not yet” — and a recommendation for exactly one next step, or an honest pass.
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  • Which of our AI ideas will pay back, and which should we drop?
  • Should we build it, buy a tool, or switch on what our current software already offers?
  • Which model fits each task at a cost we can live with?
  • Is our data clean, current and accessible enough to support it?
  • What do the EU AI Act and our customers’ security reviews require of us?
  • What can we prove in 90 days, and how will we measure it?
Who it's for

Useful at any stage

Whether you’re choosing a first use case or fixing one in production, the questions change but the method stays the same.

Exploring AI

“We know AI can help, but where do we start?”

  • Use cases scored on value and feasibility
  • Build, buy, or use what you already pay for
  • A first pilot with a baseline and a success metric

Building AI

“We’re building something. Are we on the right path?”

  • Architecture and model choice reviewed
  • Data readiness and eval plan checked
  • Cost per task modeled before you scale

Scaling AI

“We have AI in production but need to scale smarter.”

  • Bottlenecks traced in cost, latency and quality
  • Model and vendor options re-tested
  • Governance and audit trail for enterprise buyers

“ForthClover accelerated our AI platform strategy with expert recommendations.”

Working with ForthClover has been an excellent experience. Their team brought the right expertise to deepen our architecture planning and identify new ways to amplify our behavioral data with machine learning and AI. The engagement provided clear, actionable recommendations to streamline our architecture, ensure scalability, and drive cost efficiency. The team exceeded our expectations with clear communication and responsiveness. We also valued their ability to highlight the right AI approaches and frame complex concepts in a way that supported our team's strategic thinking. Overall, this project sharpened our strategy and accelerated our plans to evolve Churnkey's platform with AI.

Nick FogleFounder & CEO, Churnkey

churnkey

How a strategy engagement runs

From a long list of ideas to one funded pilot

The fit call is free. The full engagement is fixed-price, usually one to two weeks, and you keep every document whether or not we build anything.
  1. 01Phase 01

    Fit call

    Free and 45 minutes long. We learn your goals and tell you honestly whether we can help.

    • Business goals and the numbers you’re judged on
    • AI ideas and work already in flight
    • The data, systems and team you have today
    • Constraints: budget, timeline, regulation

    DeliverableOne recommendation, or an honest pass

  2. 02Phase 02

    Opportunity map

    We turn a long list of ideas into a short, scored portfolio.

    • Each use case scored on value, feasibility and risk
    • Build, buy, or switch on what your tools already offer
    • Data readiness checked for the top candidates
    • Rough cost per task and payback for each

    DeliverableScored use-case portfolio

  3. 03Phase 03

    Architecture & governance

    For the top picks, we decide how they would be built and governed.

    • Model shortlist tested on your own examples
    • Reference architecture and hosting options
    • Each use case mapped to EU AI Act risk levels, where it applies
    • Owners, approvals and logging, with ISO 42001 as an optional guide

    DeliverableReference architecture and risk register

  4. 04Phase 04

    90-day roadmap

    A plan you can act on next week, with the first pilot defined.

    • First pilot scoped with a baseline and a success metric
    • Milestones, owners and budget for 90 days
    • What to stop, defer or buy instead
    • Decision points where you can change course

    Deliverable90-day roadmap and a fixed-price first step

FAQ

Questions we hear on fit calls

Are you tied to a model or cloud vendor?
No. We test candidate models on your own examples and recommend what fits your task, budget and data rules, including off-the-shelf tools you can buy instead of build.
Does the EU AI Act apply to us?
It can if you offer AI systems in the EU or their output is used there, and obligations depend on each use case’s risk level. We map your use cases to those levels and flag what needs documentation, human oversight or transparency. For a legal opinion, we work alongside your counsel.
Do we need ISO 42001?
Not to get started. It’s a useful framework for managing AI, and some enterprise buyers ask about it. We can shape your governance so certification is easier later, but we don’t certify you.
What if our data isn’t ready?
Then fixing it may be the first project. We show which data gaps block which use cases, and point out any use case that works with the data you have today.
What happens after the roadmap?
You can run it yourself, or start with one fixed-price step: the $3,000 AI Agent Pilot, the $9,500 Agent Build proof stage, or the $4,500 AI System Audit if you already have AI live. The top tier of AI Operations adds a quarterly roadmap and build-vs-buy guidance.

Ready to know what to build?

Bring your list of AI ideas to a free 45-minute fit call. You leave with a straight read on which one to start with, and how to measure it.

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