Retained AI Acquisition Search
For enterprises and PE-backed portfolios that need a specific AI capability — not three more vendor demos, not another 18-month build that fails in production.
The market for AI capabilities has shifted faster than enterprise procurement has adapted. Most companies are stuck between two bad options — and V1 exists to offer a third.
The average enterprise AI program runs 12–24 months and costs millions before delivering anything to production. Boards are running out of patience for roadmaps that never resolve.
Traditional M&A firms need $3–5M in ARR to engage. The most strategically valuable AI capabilities today are pre-revenue — technically proven, clean IP, but invisible to every banker in the market.
266 AI acquisitions closed in Q1 2026 alone — up 90% year over year. By the time a conventional search completes, the target you wanted is owned by your competitor.
Think of us as executive search — but instead of finding you the right person, we find you the right AI capability. You define the gap. We do the rest.
We are not a venture firm, and we are not a bank. We run operator-led acquisition searches for a single asset category: AI capability.
We source targets that don't have bankers, don't have revenue, and don't appear in any pipeline. Pre-revenue AI teams with proven technology and clean IP — founded 18–30 months ago — are our primary sourcing universe. That network is built over years of operating inside the AI builder ecosystem.
Every search is led by a founder-operator who has sat on both sides of the deal table — as a startup founder being acquired and as an enterprise advisor evaluating technology decisions. We close faster because we translate for both sides simultaneously.
Every deliverable — capability brief, market map, shortlist memo, diligence rails — is structured for internal stakeholders, board review, and legal. We reduce your internal friction, not add to it. Your corp dev and CTO teams look better because of what we deliver.
We evaluate every potential target for clean IP ownership, team stickiness, integration simplicity, and acquisition readiness. Nothing enters the shortlist that cannot realistically close. The result is shorter diligence cycles and faster time-to-capability.
We work exclusively with organizations that have a defined AI capability need, the mandate to move, and an appreciation for operator-led judgment over generic process.
Enterprises where the board has mandated AI capability acquisition and the internal team knows that building is too slow, too expensive, and too uncertain. We replace months of unfocused search with a structured, milestone-driven process.
PE technology and digital operating partners who are under LP pressure to demonstrate AI value creation across portfolio companies — and who understand retained search because they use it for executive hiring every day.
Two things rarely live in the same person: deep operator and deal experience, and world-class communication. Christian has both — and that combination is the foundation of how V1 moves clients from capability gap to signed transaction.
As CEO, he took Web3 Pro from zero to $110M in enterprise value, $5M ARR, and $10M in institutional funding, closing contracts with Lamborghini, Ducati, and FIFA. Before that, he advised Fortune 500 companies at PwC — Comcast, GE, HP, AT&T, Pfizer, and Walmart — on strategic technology decisions, evaluations, and transactions.
He has raised over $10M for his own companies and $100M+ for the founders he advises. He has invested in 26+ early-stage technology companies, lectured at Cornell University since 2019, and been featured on CNBC, CNN, BBC, Forbes, and Al Jazeera as a technology voice. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum and S&P Global Platts on 60+ occasions.
He holds an MBA from Cornell University and a Joint BBA + Master in Economics from the Università degli Studi di Udine. He is a Dale Carnegie award-winning communicator and a published author (Mondadori, 2021).
Every engagement begins with a 30-minute capability scoping call. We clarify the need, assess the market opportunity, and align on whether a retained search is the right path — with no obligation.
Request the engagement mandate sheet →
Palo Alto, CA · search@v1venturestudio.com