START: Ian M.J. McInnis, CEO & Co-Founder, WithAI “Custom command centers for hedge funds”

The biggest hedge funds have entire teams building AI. Most asset managers are on their own.But closing that gap isn't about buying more AI. It's about a problem most people get wrong.You can test code by running it.You can't test an investment by buying it.Software engineering and investing aren't the same problemIn software, we've moved from autocomplete to agents to long-running agent swarms - each step climbing another level of abstractionIn investing, human judgment still has to exist at the object levelSo the challenge was never deploying agentsThe challenge is giving them the context to be usefulEvery source of knowledgeInternal and externalStructured and unstructuredConnected to the people making decisions.That's what Ian M.J. McInnis and his co-founder Ben Finch built at WithAI (YC P26)Not another AI toolA customized environment where agents can work the way investors actually do.Ian knows the problem firsthand. Before co-founding WithAI, he worked at the center of AI and investing at Bridgewater, studying how AI would reshape markets and knowledge work.His conclusion after trying the alternative:"The DIY approach ends in pain"The future isn't simply managing swarms of agentsIt's knowing what to delegateWhat to automateAnd where human judgment remains essentialThat's why WithAI focuses on amplifying investors rather than replacing themResearch fasterMonitor more companiesSurface information that would otherwise be missed"AI for asset managers, built with you": Security, infrastructure, and white-glove service for harnessing the latest agents🎙️ Ian McInnis, CEO & Co-Founder, WithAI on Fondo START pod‍00:20 Why AI adoption in investing requires more than simply deploying agents00:35 Building a customized AI operating environment for asset managers01:12 Making hedge fund-grade AI capabilities accessible to smaller firms01:55 From Princeton mathematics to a career in investing02:35 Becoming one of Bridgewater's internal AI specialists03:25 The origin story of WithAI and partnering with a longtime collaborator04:35 Identifying the missing tools investors would need in an AI-driven future05:05 Lessons from an initial YC rejection and what changed06:15 Why AI agents are creating immediate value for knowledge workers07:20 The fundamental difference between software engineering and investing08:35 How to balance AI automation with human judgment09:50 Where investors can safely delegate work to AI agents11:00 Measuring AI-driven investment outcomes and client value creation12:15 The ideal asset manager profile for WithAI today13:10 Opportunities and excesses emerging in AI infrastructure investing14:00 Thoughts on SpaceX, xAI, and technology valuations15:00 The future of AI adoption across institutional investingCheck out www.withai.co