About
The people you meet do the work.
Our mission is to make AI work for companies and the people within them.
How it started
Dan was at Amazon running a small skunkworks team on the side, using early versions of Stable Diffusion to automate ad creative — a fraction of his week, and easily the most interesting part of it. Kate was hearing the same question over and over from her clients and from other leaders in her network. Between the two of them, the underserved need for AI support in the mid-market became hard to ignore.
Who we build for
There's a lot of hype around AI and precious little pragmatic guidance. The typical advisory firm is built around the needs of very large companies. We specialize in mid-market businesses and private equity — turning data into a competitive edge without over-investing.
Our mission
AI is reshaping how work gets done at unprecedented speed and scale. For many organizations the challenge isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how to do it in a way that creates real value instead of noise, wasted effort, or fear. We want to help companies move through that change with clarity, pragmatism and empathy, building AI capabilities that improve business performance while enabling their people to work in better, more effective ways.
Our team
Dan Hou
Partner
Dan owns end-to-end AI delivery for our clients. Previously, Dan led Amazon Ads Creative Studio, supporting advertisers through scaled services and technology. He spent over a decade working with Fortune 100 clients at Huge, and has held product roles at Microsoft and Motorola. Dan holds economics and comp sci degrees from UPenn.
Kate Watts
Partner
Kate ensures our programs are thoroughly evaluated against expected business impact. Previously, Kate founded an experience design firm in 2017, which was acquired by The Atlantic to bolster their creative consultancy, Long Dash. Kate has also held the role of president, U.S., for Huge, a renowned global agency. She is a graduate of Colby College.
Terumi Hayden
Product Lead
Terumi leads product across our client engagements, from discovery through delivery. Previously, Terumi spent seven years at The Washington Post, where she rose from senior product designer to Director of Product for Subscriptions and grew the team while digital subscribers more than doubled. She has also led user experience at GetWellNetwork and designed for Huge’s clients. Terumi studied neuroscience and behavior at Vassar College.
Felipe Bejarano
Tech Lead
Felipe builds the AI systems our clients run on, from the data pipelines underneath to the agents on top. Previously, Felipe engineered data platforms and microservices for Scale Microgrids and built business intelligence and data integration for a Medicare insurer through Perficient, after six years at Schlumberger as a field and maintenance engineer in Colombia. He is a Claude Certified Architect and holds an electronic engineering degree from the Universidad Industrial de Santander.
Our principles
We strive to hold a high bar.
- 01
Unwavering ownership
We see projects through to success, regardless of what it takes. We take responsibility for ensuring our work leads to meaningful outcomes. Our reputation and client outcomes matter more than contract terms or personal convenience.
- 02
Relentless curiosity
We constantly explore, experiment with, and learn about AI advancements. Staying at the cutting edge isn’t optional — it’s essential to our purpose.
- 03
Psychological safety
We create an environment where team members can take risks, share concerns, and be authentic without fear of judgment. Our best work emerges when everyone feels secure enough to contribute fully.
- 04
Empathetic partnership
We deeply understand our clients’ challenges and contexts before proposing solutions. Our best guidance comes from genuine empathy combined with technical expertise.
- 05
Challenge assumptions
We don’t take direction at face value — from clients, partners, AI or each other. We question assumptions, not to be contrarian but to improve the quality of decisions. Once we’ve aligned on a path, we commit fully and execute with speed.
- 06
Ship, learn, iterate
We prioritize action over perfection. Getting something valuable in clients’ hands quickly allows us to learn and improve faster than endless deliberation.
- 07
Joyful impact
We find meaning and joy in solving hard problems together. The work is challenging, but that’s precisely why we celebrate our shared journey and accomplishments.
Our reserves
A bench that scales as needed.
Every one of them has been through rigorous AI engineering training and passed Anthropic’s Claude Architect certification exam, which has a reputation for being genuinely difficult to pass.
They augment the core team rather than replace it, and each already has a standing relationship with Eskridge. So when one joins an engagement, the client feels none of the usual friction of a new person arriving — only the increase in velocity.