Free Lesson

How to Pressure-Test an AI Bet's Margin First

Part of The AI Bet: Adding AI to Products That Already Work

30 min
Jul 10, 2026 1:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)

In this video

What you'll learn

Estimate What an AI Bet Will Actually Cost the Business

Understand the financial levers that determine whether an AI investment strengthens or erodes your margins.

Pressure-Test an AI Decision Before You Pitch It

Identify the margin risks executives will surface—and answer them before they ask.

Read the Room: VC vs. PE Expectations on AI Economics

See why the same AI decision gets funded by one board and killed by another—and how to position yours.

Why this topic matters

Most AI bets quietly erode gross margin— and leaders find out in the board meeting, not the spec review. Learn a 4-input test to pressure-test any AI bet's margin before you pitch it, so you walk into the exec review having already found the hole they'll poke. See why the same margin hit gets funded by a VC board and killed by a PE one. Leave able to defend the number in language your CFO respects

You'll learn from

Elena Leonova

Elena Leonova

Founder & CPO, OneRank.io, ex-CPO @ Spryker, VP of Product @ BigCommerce

Previously at

eBay
BigCommerce
Spryker Systems
PayPal
See all products from Elena