AI Consulting & Innovation Studio

We build intelligent
systems that
transform
how businesses operate.

Strategy. Engineering. Deployment. From proof-of-concept to production-scale AI — we partner with forward-thinking organizations to ship what matters.

Collaborators

SG

Smith Gruppe

A trusted business advisory firm with over 27 years helping small businesses and mid-market companies achieve their visions through structure, strategy, and leadership development.

Citius • Confidebat • Excellentia

Where institutional deal flow meets emerging fund managers — bridging the gap between IP-rich ventures and the capital they deserve.

6
University Partners
1,053
Engagements Completed
5–10×
Target Fund Returns

The Deal Vault

A proprietary capital access portal modeled on the institutional deal rooms of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Pre-underwritten opportunities surface in NDA-gated environments with time-limited due diligence windows — enabling faster deployment, cleaner ROI reporting, and the performance data emerging managers need to raise larger successor funds.

NC Innovation Corridor

Direct relationships with patent provisioning offices, research departments, and economic development divisions across North Carolina’s premier research institutions. Priority access to SBIR/STTR grant companies and biotech firms at commercialization stage.

Duke University
UNC Chapel Hill
Wake Forest University
UNC Charlotte
NC A&T State University
Western Carolina University

Investment Thesis

Top-tier VCs demand 20–30× returns — largely inaccessible to mid-market companies with legitimate IP. Junior funds and emerging managers find 5–10× returns meaningful. Smith Gruppe connects this untapped deal flow — IP-rich SMBs, SBIR/STTR spinouts, commercialization-stage biotech — directly to the capital partners who can move on it.

Advisory Excellence

Beyond capital access, Smith Gruppe delivers hands-on business advisory for SMBs and nonprofits: operational restructuring, leadership development, CFO services, business valuations, and strategic planning across RevOps, DevOps, and StratOps centers of excellence. A difference maker with over a thousand engagements completed.

Who We Work With

What We're Building

Each at a different stage. All invite conversation.

Paymesh / BestPSP

Payout-operations network for merchants managing complex settlement.

AI Grant Funding Optimizer

Grant lifecycle intelligence for nonprofits.

AR / VR

Spatial computing and immersive interface research.

DJ DMX AI

AI-powered lighting synchronized to sound for venues and events.

Gaming AI

Natural NPC communication for deeper player immersion.

Investing & Real Estate

Fractional vacation-rental ownership reimagined.

Payment Reconciliation

Unified reconciliation intelligence for fintech operations.

Let's Build
Something That Matters.

Have an idea, a problem, or just want to talk about what AI can actually do for your business? Reach out.

Or email directly: contact@d-p.site