Matt Fitzpatrick: Who Wins the Data Labelling Race & Why Al Needs Forward-Deployed Engineers

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 31, 2025

Duration

1h 25m

Channel

The Twenty Minute VC

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Matt Fitzpatrick is the CEO of Invisible Technologies, leading the company's mission to make AI work. Since joining as CEO in January 2025, he has raised $100M, and accelerated AI adoption across industries from sports to consumer and government. Previously, Matt was a Senior Partner at McKinsey, where he led QuantumBlack Labs, the firm's AI R&D and software development arm. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:21 Career Journey and Leadership 08:36 The Single Biggest Barriers to Enterprises Adopting AI 10:41 It is BS That Enterprises Can Adopt AI Without Forward-Deployed Engineers 27:13 Are AI Talent Marketplaces Dead? What is the best model? 36:39 How Does the Data Labelling Market Shake Out: Who Wins/ Who Loses 50:01 Are Revenue Numbers for Data Labelling Real Revenue? Or GMV? 52:56 Best Capital Allocation Decision? What did Matt Learn from it? 55:22 How Important is Brand for AI Companies Selling Into Enterprise? 01:09:24 Remote Work vs. In-Person Collaboration 01:21:47 What Does No-One Know About the Future of AI That Everyone Should Know ----------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on X: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Invisible Technologies on X: https://twitter.com/InvTechInc Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #mattfitzpatrick #invisibletechnologies #datalebelling #ai #engineers #saas

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Matt Fitzpatrick

  guest

• Harry Stebbings

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Matt Fitzpatrick and Harry Stebbings, Matt Fitzpatrick: Who Wins the Data Labelling Race & Why Al Needs Forward-Deployed Engineers explores why AI deployment fails: Invisible’s CEO on data, FDEs, trust Matt Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible and former McKinsey senior partner, explains why enterprise AI adoption badly lags model performance and how Invisible is positioning as both an AI training platform and enterprise deployment partner. He argues most GenAI projects fail because enterprises treat them like SaaS apps rather than workflow, data, and change‑management problems that require forward-deployed engineers (FDEs) and rigorous validation. Invisible’s model hinges on modular software, human-in-the-loop data labeling at scale, and a "prove it first" go-to-market where customers don’t pay until systems actually work. Fitzpatrick also challenges myths around synthetic data, remote work, and out‑of‑the‑box agents, while outlining why he’s long‑term optimistic about AI’s impact on healthcare, energy, and education.

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