At the recent Pigment Roadshow event in London, Pigment’s Head of Strategy and Interim CFO Jay Peir was joined by Laura Modiano, who leads OpenAI's EMEA startup efforts.
The following is a summary of their conversation.
The interview
First, I have to ask - what has it been like to be at OpenAI during these exciting times?
Honestly, it’s a dream come true. Being at OpenAI is high-paced, high-energy, and internally, it’s politics-free. Everyone is so aligned on the mission and knows why they are there. Nobody is forced to do anything - it’s clear that we want to create AGI that benefits all of humanity, whether in personal, professional, or educational contexts.
My team’s mission is to support startups. We respond to their challenges, come together to solve problems, and help founders and companies leverage amazing technology. It’s truly a joy to be part of this journey.
You work with a range of startups and scale-ups across industries. What trends or patterns are you seeing, and what do you expect to see through this year or 2025?
First, I’m seeing more technical founders emerge. In the past, many founders focused primarily on solving a problem, and while that’s still important, now I’m seeing repeat founders or individuals with a deep understanding of both the problem and the technology. They’re able to leverage advanced tools to create platforms that solve problems in new ways.
Another trend is that AI is no longer just the domain of the CTO or a specialist team; it’s becoming a core agenda across the company. From the CEO down, companies are integrating AI into their mission and using it to move faster, solve problems, and develop new services or value propositions that didn’t exist before.
Given the rapid pace of change we're experiencing - AI advancements and economic and geopolitical shifts - how do your clients best equip themselves to adapt?
It’s a broad question, but I’ll break it down. First, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There’s a lot of experimentation involved. At OpenAI, we think of AI startups in two ways - are they using AI for internal use cases or customer-facing solutions, or are they building for productivity or creating something entirely new?
Depending on where a company falls on this matrix, the way they adapt to challenges will differ. AI can respond to competitive pressures, financial constraints, and more, but it’s important to step back and understand the root of the problem and its dependencies. Solving one issue without understanding what leads to it and what follows may not address the bigger picture.
I often tell customers to think of problems like Lego blocks. Instead of focusing on perfecting one piece, look at how all the pieces fit together. Sometimes, you may need to shake the box, rebuild from scratch, and take a new approach to create value and solve problems holistically.
Building on that, as companies adopt AI, particularly in finance, what advice would you give for making the most of it?
First, understand what you’re using AI for. Many of my customers use OpenAI APIs. For smaller businesses, ChatGPT for enterprise is a fantastic tool. Regardless of company size, everyone should experiment with AI and incorporate it into their workflows.
For example, I use ChatGPT to research trends, competition, and the latest technologies to better prepare for client discussions. AI tools can also support continuous education, whether that means learning new coding skills or exploring physics. Testing and iterating with AI tools can fill knowledge gaps and push teams to innovate.
It’s also important to understand that AI isn’t about replacing humans but augmenting their capabilities. If you think about advertising 50 years ago, it required manual painting and physical distribution. Over time, we moved to Photoshop and now generative AI. The process evolves, but the creativity and human input remain vital. AI enables people to iterate faster and deliver personalized solutions while fostering collaboration across departments.
I worked with a healthcare startup where every employee, whether at the front desk or in IT, spends an hour each month observing a GP’s office to understand customer needs. This approach ensures that everyone contributes to product ideation, even if they’re not the ones building or coding. It’s a great example of how inclusivity and shared understanding drive innovation.
That aligns closely with Pigment’s vision of integrated planning, where finance partners across the organization. Could you share how OpenAI uses its own technology internally?
We use custom GPTs for various functions. On the go-to-market team, we use a customer GPT that gathers relevant information about startups - from investors to compliance details - so we can start client calls prepared. We also use tools from startups built on OpenAI, like Superhuman for email and Granola for note-taking.
Internally, we have an AI assistant called Taylor, which helps with tasks like summarizing past conversations, recording meeting notes, and generating action points. It integrates with Slack to provide up-to-date information on tools and documentation. As a startup ourselves, staying informed and responsive is crucial. AI helps us keep up with the fast pace and constant innovation.
Do you have any parting advice on using AI in finance and business planning?
Use it. Don’t limit yourself to what you think is possible. Everything is possible now. AI allows for inclusivity and can serve as a starting point for deeper conversations and collaboration.
Take advantage of the automation and productivity AI offers to free up time for what matters most, whether that’s family, personal passions, or strategic thinking. AI isn’t just a text generator; it’s a tool for continuous value creation. Experiment, push the boundaries, and redesign processes with a clear goal in mind. The possibilities are endless.
Next steps
To learn more about how Pigment uses AI, visit www.pigment.com/ai.
