What is the first step to getting started with AI?

Establish a baseline before choosing a tool. The open AI Audit takes about 15 minutes, places you on an adoption tier against 2026 YC and a16z benchmarks, and names the two or three things worth fixing first. Everything after that — use case, tooling, autonomy tier — is a decision made against evidence rather than a vendor deck.

How do we pick a first AI use case that will actually ship?

Four conditions qualify it: the workflow is high frequency, it has a named business owner, the data it needs is already accessible and classified, and a completed item can be counted. If any one is missing, the pilot stalls on a dependency rather than on the model. A/DVNT Assess™ ranks three candidates in four weeks.

How long does it take to launch a first governed AI workflow?

Deployment onto an existing governed operating layer takes under 60 minutes per platform because the substrate already exists. Realistically, plan four weeks to a scoped and ranked use case, then weeks rather than quarters to production — provided data access and the autonomy tier are settled before build begins.

What does it cost to start?

A/DVNT Cloud has a free tier for entry tools, so a team can prove value without a procurement cycle. A/DVNT Advisory™ starts at $18K and is the smallest useful paid commitment — it produces a scoped plan you can execute yourself or hand to another partner. Assess, Govern, Architect, and Enable start from $28K each.

Do we need to fix our data before we start?

Only the sources the first workflow touches. Enterprise-wide cleanup is how adoption programmes lose eighteen months. Scope access, classification, and retention for the chosen workflow and put that work in the plan explicitly, rather than discovering it as an overrun in month four.

Who should own AI internally?

One named owner per workflow, plus one accountable platform owner across them. Ownership is what converts a pilot into an operated capability: unowned workflows default to the lowest autonomy tier and quietly stop being maintained. Formalising this early costs nothing and prevents the review-board queue that stalls the second use case.

Guides · Get started3 steps

Three steps to a governed first win.
Then pick your lane.

Most teams stall because they buy tooling before they know their posture. Run the same path we run with clients — assess, pick, ship — then follow the entry point built for your size and obligations.

The path

Same three steps,
every engagement.

01
Assess where you actually are.
Before buying anything, get an honest read on your AI posture — what is live, what is shadow, what is ungoverned. The open YC AI Audit gives you a posture score, a risk surface and a gap map.
15 minutes · open, no gate
Open the AI Audit →
02
Pick one use case that can ship.
The right first use case touches one team, one workflow and one data source you already own. A/DVNT Advisory turns the assessment into a ranked shortlist with a decision you can defend.
3 weeks · from $18K
A/DVNT Advisory™ →
03
Ship it governed, then repeat.
Compose the use case onto the governed operating layer — audited, permissioned, live in under 60 minutes per platform. Once one ships, the same substrate carries the next ten.
Live in under 60 minutes
See A/DVNT Enterprise™ →

Pick your lane

Founders move on speed.
Enterprises move on sign-off.

Lane AFast

Founders & startups

Seed to Series B · 5–150 people · no AI function yet

You need one governed win fast, without hiring a platform team or signing an enterprise contract. Start with the open diagnostic, then buy the smallest thing that moves.

Run the YC AI Audit yourself — free, no form
Read the field notes on the AI Operating Layer
Scope the first build with Advisory when it matters

Typical start: Free → $18K

Start with the AI Audit →Compare offers →

Lane BGoverned

Enterprises

500+ people · existing stack · governance and audit obligations

You have pilots that never reached production and a risk function that will not sign off. Start with the governance decision, then stand up the operating layer and a Centre of Excellence around it.

Advisory establishes the architecture decision record
A/DVNT Services builds the internal capability to run it
A/DVNT Enterprise™ operates the governed runtime

Typical start: $18K → $85K → $150K–$295K/yr

Talk to the team →A/DVNT Services →

Frequently asked

Starting questions, answered plainly.

Keep reading

Go deeper on any step.

Next step

Know your step?
See what it costs.

Four offers, published prices — from a 3-week Advisory diagnostic to the full governed operating layer.

Talk to the team Compare the offers

Three steps to a governed first win.Then pick your lane.

Same three steps,every engagement.

Assess where you actually are.

Pick one use case that can ship.

Ship it governed, then repeat.

Founders move on speed.Enterprises move on sign-off.