๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฒโ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐-๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Ken Francis, CEO of Actuate, to explore how AI is transforming video surveillance from a cost-heavy, false-alarm-plagued system into a scalable, efficient security solution.
Ken shares lessons from his 35+ years in security and technologyโstarting from his military background to leading billion-dollar businesses and now driving AI adoption in commercial monitoring centers worldwide.
We dig into:
- Why false positive reduction is the hidden engine of scalable AI surveillance
- The role of cloud vs. private infrastructure in global security deployments
- How to strategically say โnoโ to opportunities that will sink a startup
- The market forces making AI monitoring one of the fastest-growing security segments today
If youโre scaling a SaaS company, dev shop, or enterprise solution, Kenโs perspective offers a blueprint on balancing product focus, channel strategy, and global expansion.
Chapters
00:00 Intro & The โNo Koala AIโ Story
04:20 From Military to Security Tech Leadership
08:00 Founding and Scaling in Competitive Markets
11:45 The Real AI Advantage: False Positive Reduction
15:26 LLMs and the Future of Surveillance AI
17:50 Gun Detection, Healthcare & Public Safety Use Cases
21:31 Cloud vs. Private Cloud in Security Infrastructure
23:56 Global Regulations & Data Privacy Challenges
25:46 Competing in a Crowded AI Security Market
29:01 Growth Levers & Global Expansion Strategy
30:59 Magic Wand: The Infrastructure Ken Wishes He Had
Resources
๐ Actuate: https://www.actuate.ai
๐ Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com