1204: When Capital Conviction Matters More Than Market Timing | Andrew Korn, CFO, EliseAI

Andrew Korn tracks growth first. EliseAI had surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue when he spoke with us, and Korn tells us the company had maintained year-over-year growth above 100% throughout his four and a half years there—“correlation, not causation,” he adds.That growth gives finance a clear assignment. According to Korn, EliseAI monitors gross margins and burn while ensuring its spending remains prudent and directed toward investments capable of moving the business forward.The company operates in housing and healthcare, two industries Korn describes as representing about 40% of U.S. GDP combined. He tells us both depend heavily on labor while contending with regulation and legacy technology. The result is overwhelmed teams, administrative work, and consumers waiting too long or paying too much for essential services.EliseAI enters primarily through the communication layer. According to Korn, its technology handles communications and repetitive work around the clock while providing accurate, compliant answers to renters, residents, prospects, and patients.But awareness of AI has also created a different challenge. Korn says customers increasingly arrive interested in the technology, yet EliseAI must ensure they understand what they are adopting. The objective is not AI “just for AI’s sake” or something a company can place on its website.Instead, Korn tells us, AI must improve operations, performance, and business capabilities in tangible ways. EliseAI therefore tracks leases, occupancy, rent collection, maintenance requests, resident renewals, patient calls, and scheduled appointments.For Korn, the technology earns its place when customers can recognize its impact in the work being completed and the results being produced.