In Episode 04 of The Decision Room — the Utopia Club podcast for software founders scaling in the US — Ilan Man, founder of Paradox Machines, explains why the biggest players in data and AI ignore an entire market — and how he's building a company on the deals they call "peanuts."The Decision Room is hosted by Gina Kimiza, founder of Utopia Club, a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Every episode is one founder, one decision, one pivot — told by the founder who made it.In this conversation, we go deep on the mid-market gap in data and AI infrastructure. Palantir and Databricks solve data for billion-dollar companies. Big consultancies won't touch $50K–200K contracts. Ilan spent 20 years building data systems — including helping Brooklyn Data Co. through an acquisition — and now he's bringing enterprise-grade data infrastructure to the companies priced out of the enterprise tier.Paradox Machines is a full-stack data and AI company that embeds lean teams into mid-market businesses and deploys managed data platforms — outcome-based pricing, no billable hours. Backed by Infinity Constellation.What we cover:→ Why he left a post-exit career to become a first-time founder at 20 years in→ The mid-market opportunity: $50K–200K contracts big consulting calls "peanuts"→ Why he chose a venture studio over bootstrapping or raising VC→ The data room playbook: start 3 years before your exit, not 3 months→ How AI collapsed the cost of exit preparation — and what that means for your multiple→ Selling to PE firms and family offices: "Is what you're saying making me money?"→ Why genuine beats polished in professional services sales→ Running a two-founder household — and the stoic system that keeps it working→ His advice for operators who haven't taken the leap yetThe Decision Room is a podcast for software founders building in the US, non-US founders crossing into the US market, B2B operators, investors tracking deal flow, and partners in the GTM, EOR, and founder-network space.About Utopia Club:Utopia Club is a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Members get curated peer access, monthly decision pods, and a closed community of 200+ software founders. Founded by Gina Kimiza.→ Apply: utopia-club.com→ Decision Room newsletter: fuacollective.substack.comAbout The Decision Room:The Decision Room is the Utopia Club podcast. One founder. One decision. One pivot in the US market — told by the founder who made it. Hosted by Gina Kimiza.→ Follow Kim on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ginakimizaAbout the guest:Ilan Man is the founder of Paradox Machines, a full-stack data and AI company deploying managed data platforms for mid-market businesses. 20 years in data, including helping lead Brooklyn Data Co. through its acquisition. Backed by Infinity Constellation. Based in Brooklyn, New York.→ Follow Ilan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanman/

#UtopiaClub #TheDecisionRoom #DataInfrastructure #SoftwareFounders #B2BSaaS

He pivoted 22 times and built the AI that governments trust with their most critical decisions. Wrong wasn't an option.In Episode 03 of The Decision Room — the Utopia Club podcast for software founders scaling in the US — Nissim Titan, CEO and founder of 4Cast, unpacks the decision intelligence framework he built over 20 years inside homeland security, defense, and government — and how he turned it into a multimillion-dollar AI enterprise operating across 3 continents.The Decision Room is hosted by Gina Kimiza, founder of Utopia Club, a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Every episode is one founder, one number, one decision — told by the founder who made it.In this conversation, we go deep on why generative AI is only 60% accurate for high-stakes decisions, how Nissim built a decision intelligence platform before the category had a name, and what 22 company pivots taught him about surviving — and scaling — in the US market as a non-US founder.4Cast is an AI-powered decision intelligence platform serving defense, homeland security, critical infrastructure, and enterprise decision-makers across the US, Europe, and Israel.What we cover:→ Why generative AI gets decisions 60% right — and why that's unacceptable for enterprise→ Decision intelligence vs. AI: the category distinction every software founder needs to understand→ 22 pivots in 8 years — what Nissim changed and why→ How to build B2B enterprise trust in the US market as a non-US founder→ The US market entry playbook: boots on the ground, local hires, and the SelectUSA conference→ Why he expanded to 3 continents before most founders find product-market fit→ Hiring for attitude over expertise — and when that rule breaks→ Making every major decision alone: the founder who never had a board room→ What decision intelligence means for software founders building with AI right nowThe Decision Room is a podcast for software founders scaling in the US, non-US founders making the US crossing, B2B operators, investors tracking deal flow, and partners in the GTM, EOR, and founder-network space.About Utopia Club:Utopia Club is a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Members get curated peer access, monthly decision pods, and a closed community of software founders. Founded by Gina Kimiza.→ Apply: utopia-club.com→ Decision Room newsletter: fuacollective.substack.comAbout The Decision Room:The Decision Room is the Utopia Club podcast. One founder. One decision. One pivot in the US market — told by the founder who made it. Hosted by Gina Kimiza.→ Follow Kim on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ginakimizaAbout the guest:Nissim Titan is the CEO and founder of 4Cast, an AI-powered decision intelligence platform serving defense, critical infrastructure, and enterprise clients across the US, Europe, and Israel. Over 20 years of experience in homeland security, energy, utilities, and government. B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Industrial Management and Engineering, B.Arch from Tel Aviv University.→ Follow Nissim on LinkedIn: / nissim-titan-9880a580

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In Episode 01 of The Decision Room — the Utopia Club podcast for software founders scaling in the US — Hisham Juneidi, founder of⁨ ⁨‪@Quotix-ThePricingLayer‬, explains the architecture mistake almost every AI startup is making, and the system he built to fix it.The Decision Room is hosted by Gina Kimiza, founder of Utopia Club, a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Every episode is one founder, one decision, one pivot — told by the founder who made it.In this conversation, we go deep on AI hallucination, LLM math accuracy, and why building B2B products entirely inside AI creates a "black box" customers won't tolerate. Hisham splits AI from the calculation engine — and explains why every software founder building with LLMs should be making the same call.Quotix is an AI-powered quoting and pricing engine for B2B service businesses, currently in early deployment with HVAC and property management companies.

What we cover:→ Why AI hallucinates on math (and what's happening under the hood)→ The dual-engine architecture: AI for reasoning, separate engine for calculations→ Why "black box" AI is unsellable to B2B businesses→ The 2-year agency detour (Edge Node) that led to Quotix→ How Hisham found his ICP — and why agencies, not end customers, are the right wedge→ The 70-80% of HVAC businesses he'll never sell to→ Solo founder uncertainty and how he runs without a fixed schedule→ What he'd do differently if he started over tomorrow

The Decision Room is a podcast for software founders building in the US, non-US founders crossing into the US market, B2B operators, investors tracking deal flow, and partners in the GTM, EOR, and founder-network space.

Chapters:00:00 — Cold open: "AI should not touch the math"00:45 — Who Hisham is and what Quotix does03:20 — The architecture decision: splitting AI from calculations08:15 — Why "black box" AI doesn't work for business products12:40 — Edge Node: the 2-year detour to Quotix17:30 — Finding the ICP: from generic agency to HVAC pricing22:10 — Why he targets agencies, not end customers26:00 — Solo founder uncertainty29:15 — What he'd do differently31:30 — Kim's close

About Utopia Club:Utopia Club is a private network for software founders building or entering the US market. Members get curated peer access, monthly decision pods, and a closed community of 200+ software founders. Founded by Gina Kimiza.→ Apply: utopia-club.comAbout The Decision Room:The Decision Room is the Utopia Club podcast. One founder. One decision. One pivot in the US market — told by the founder who made it. Hosted by Gina Kimiza.→ Decision Room newsletter: fuacollective.substack.comAbout the guest:Hisham Juneidi is the founder of Quotix, an AI-powered quoting and pricing platform for B2B service businesses. CS at Virginia Tech, Data Science at Fairfield University. Previously ran Edge Node, an AI automation agency. Based in Connecticut.

→ Follow Hisham on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hisham-juneidi-590828170→ Follow Kim on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ginakimiza