Why People Buy: Inside Solsten's Cognitive-Behavioral AI

Today, Chris sits down with Joe Schaeppi, co-founder & CEO of Solsten—a deep-tech company mapping human psychology and turning it into actionable AI for creative, targeting, and product personalization. After 8 years of R&D, Solsten's “human context layer” helps enterprises and SMBs understand why people act the way they do—then adapt ads, products, and AI agents to match. Clients like LEGO and Peloton report creative wins and 3× conversion lifts, while a new self-serve product opens the stack to smaller teams.Highlights include...• Building a cognitive-behavioral AI model from clinical-grade psychometrics and authentic behavior data• Why “creative is the new targeting” (Meta’s Andromeda) and how psychology-matched creative cuts CPI/raises LTV• Personalization beyond demographics—training AI agents to speak in users’ thinking and communication styles• Go-to-market shift: from years of R&D to scale (>$35M raised; investors incl. RedBird & Galaxy)• Use cases across gaming, fintech, health/fitness, hospitality, and more