London · AI & Data Consultancy
Zenkai Labs helps organisations invest in outcomes, not hype. Strategy, governance and execution that turn data and AI into results.
The Thesis
The Equation
Tools are 20% of the equation. Strategy, architecture and execution are the other 80%. We start with business problems, not vendor logos, and we are honest about what AI can and cannot do for you.
Services
Seven ways we help you deliver.
From strategy and governance to platforms, agents and production ML. Pick the entry point that matches the problem in front of you.
01
AI Strategy & Delivery
Helping organisations actually deliver AI projects: readiness assessments, strategy and scoping, delivery leadership, project recovery and operating model design.
02
Agentic Engineering
03
Data Strategy
04
Data Governance
05
Data Platform Architecture
06
Ontology & Semantic Infrastructure
07
AI & ML Engineering
The Approach
Business problems first. Tools last.
01
Understand the users
Who are they, what are they trying to do, and where does the current way of working break down.
02
Define the problem
Frame the real business problem in plain language before anyone mentions a platform or a model.
03
Design the solution
Shape the architecture, data flows and ways of working that solve the problem, independent of any one vendor.
04
Choose the tools last
Only now do we pick technology, choosing what fits the design instead of bending the problem to a logo.
Insights
How we think, written down.
Practical guides for leaders making decisions about data and AI. Opinionated, evidence-backed and free of hype.
Guide 01
How to Actually Deliver an AI Project
Why most AI projects stall, and the operating model that ships them.
Guide 02
How to Build a Winning Data Strategy
A blueprint that starts with business problems, not a shopping list.
Guide 03
Data Governance for Business Leaders
Governance as speed, trust and safety, not control and bureaucracy.
Guide 04
The 3 Roles of AI Every Leader Should Understand
Analyst, Creator, Worker: a spectrum from predicting to acting.
Guide 05
The 7 Layers of a Modern Data Platform
From source systems to consumption, and why storage-first fails.
Guide 06
12 Essential Data Concepts AI Needs
The vocabulary your teams need before the models arrive.
Guide 07
Ontology 101: The Metro Map of Your Data
Shared definitions so customer means one thing, not twelve.
Guide 08
Stop Debating Tools, Start Delivering Value
Move the conversation from vendor logos to business outcomes.
Guide 09
Data Modelling
The quiet discipline that makes everything downstream possible.
GR
Gary Richardson
Co-founder · London, United Kingdom
About
Zenkai Labs is based in London. Gary works hands-on with leaders to turn data and AI ambitions into delivery: cutting through the hype, setting honest strategy and staying close to execution rather than handing over a deck and leaving.
The work spans strategy, governance, platforms, agents and production ML. The common thread is simple: start with the business problem, be straight about trade-offs, and choose the tools last.