In this session, Isaac Sarfo, CEO of Papermap, discusses how "Agentic AI" is bridging the Decision Gap for growth-stage businesses. While large enterprises have massive data teams and small startups rely on "vibes" or messy Excel sheets, Papermap provides a middle ground. By using AI agents that understand natural language, non-technical teams can query complex, structured databases deterministically—meaning they get accurate, reliable data without needing to write SQL or wait on a technical gatekeeper. This allows business leaders to operate at the "speed of business," turning data events into strategic actions in seconds rather than days.

5 Key Takeaways

• Closing the Decision Gap: The "Decision Gap" is the time lost between data hitting a database and a human taking action. Agentic AI closes this by allowing non-technical managers to get answers instantly through natural language.
• Targeting the "Missing Middle": Businesses earning between $10M and $100M are often underserved by data tools. They are too big for manual spreadsheets but too small to justify the massive overhead of platforms like Snowflake or Databricks.
• Deterministic Accuracy vs. LLM "Vibes": Unlike standard chatbots that might hallucinate, Papermap focuses on deterministic outcomes—ensuring the AI pulls from exact tables and columns so the data is verifiable and audit-ready.
• The Shift from "Tourist" to "Inhabitant": Isaac describes data teams as "tourists" and business users as "inhabitants." AI agents empower the inhabitants—those who live in the day-to-day operations—to analyze their own data without an intermediary.
• Augmentation, Not Replacement: AI won't eliminate data engineers; instead, it will shift their roles toward architecture and orchestration. As data volume doubles every few years, the human role evolves from "query writer" to "orchestra conductor."