Never say never. We have one last

The last time we visited Pauline, she was tied tight on the tracks, the train now bearing down on her.

OK, readers, many of you have been to the Saturday morning serials at the local movie house, wondering if Flash Gordon would get out of the evil grip of Ming the Merciless.

You also know that they rewind a bit from the previous episode to credibly explain the twist coming so that Flash can live to fight another day.

In the last column I wrote that we had decided to toss in the towel. We went looking for a banjo player who had picks and needed an amp. The rich guy had looked at our sheet music and said that if he wanted Beethoven, he would build it himself.

Another young garage band came and looked but their primary investor told them they did not need a trombone at this time.

So we decided to essentially give it away. We offered the software to one of the early employees for two cups of coffee and a promise to pay more if aliens land in downtown San Diego. And we threw in the amp.

Done and done. Just waiting for the deal memo.

The next day, I go to Boston to celebrate my bride’s Harvard Business School reunion. At these reunions, you get to listen to some lectures from famous professors, sort of déjà vu all over again, except for me, all new, since I never went to Harvard.

Well, having made the deal with the devil that morning, I am on the train from New York to Boston, and the phone rings. An acquaintance introduces us to a large ($1 billion) company, which says they need an AI solution, and they would like to chat with us. The CEO had recently committed to needing “an AI strategy” to compete against the leader in their field. They did not want to be left behind.

Let’s pause here. I’m not saying it’s the fourth game of the NBA finals, but I was recently in New York and did buy a No.11 jersey.

Always ask founders if they really understand the difference between their own purported brilliance and just dumb luck. Earlier in the day I was ready to sell to a bongo player, and all of a sudden, a company shows up with a full symphony orchestra and happens to need one more trombone.

The next morning I am at Harvard Business School, and I end up in a classroom with professor Deepak Malhotra who is giving a lecture on President Donald Trump and the art of negotiation. OK, I am all in on this one.

Without boring you, it turns out that starting with a crazy number, an outrageous number, usually starting in the billons is a very effective technique. But that only works if you are the Donald.

Grounded reality — that is what RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) and our AI software provide — so doctor take your own medicine. By the way, what about the guy who just bought a coffee machine to make those two cups of coffee?

And note well, you do not yet have a deal. You’ve got nothing more than a “we would like to see a demo.” Optimism is one thing, outright insanity is quite another.

And so we demo to our new prospective purchaser. Our four geniuses against their three geniuses. A walk-off, a buzzer-beater, a Hail Mary. Turing lives.

What is the price and what is the structure? On several occasions I have employed the “earn-out” model. I give you the software for a song, but each time you play it, I get a royalty. Complicated legal drafting, but it works.

Sell it lock, stock and barrel. Cleaner, but probably a lower price.

Oh, and don’t forget that train; it is still on the track, still coming. And when the company is completely broke, the locomotive will be full steam at our doorstep.

Arrogance, stupidity and greed are knocking at my door. Anyone home?

We await the next deal call. I love this game.

Rule No. 830: Ming, where have you been all my life?

Senturia is a serial entrepreneur who invests in startups. Please email ideas to neil@askturing.ai