How We Work
Signal over spectacle
We track the AI landscape closely, but clients do not hire us for trend commentary. They hire us to know what matters for their workflows and what should be ignored.
About Practical North
Strategy that ships.
Practical North exists for operators who know AI may matter, but do not have time to chase every new model, tool, or headline. We help teams separate signal from noise, decide what is worth acting on, and define a next step that can survive operational reality.
What we do today
Our current wedge is the North Star Audit: a focused engagement for companies that want a fast answer on where AI could create real operational value, what should not be pursued, and what the most practical next move is.
- Map workflows, friction points, data realities, and constraints.
- Identify the few AI opportunities with credible operational upside.
- Rule out weak ideas before they absorb time, budget, or focus.
- Define the clearest next step toward a working system.
How We Work
Production over presentation
A strategy deck is only useful if it survives contact with real systems, real data, and real operational constraints. We work backwards from what can actually run.
How We Work
Capability over dependency
Good consulting should leave your team clearer, sharper, and more capable. We prefer practical recommendations and maintainable systems over black-box mystique.
The founders
Co-founder
Maximilian Velich
Engineer. Spent years shipping AI systems in production environments. Builds the thing that survives contact with the real world.
Co-founder
Friso Kolkman
Operator and investor. Co-founded an AI company. Reviewed thousands of startup pitches. Cuts through hype to a sound commercial decision.
Why we built it
Too much AI advice still ends as a deck, a workshop, or a vague roadmap no one is confident enough to execute. Practical North was built to close the gap between strategy firms that cannot ship and technical teams that do not start from business reality.
We would rather give a direct "not this, not now" than recommend work that should never leave the whiteboard.
Start with a real conversation
If your team feels pressure from constant AI change, we can look at your workflows, assess what is actually relevant, and decide if a North Star Audit is the right next move.