Robbie Allen is the Founder and Managing Director of Automated Consulting Group (ACG), where he helps mid-market organizations turn AI ambition into working solutions.
He founded Automated Insights, recognized as one of the first commercial generative AI organizations, which was acquired by Vista Equity Partners. He also co-founded Infinia ML (acquired by Aspirion) and Bionic Health (acquired by Thrive). Robbie was previously Cisco’s youngest “Distinguished Engineer.”
He holds two master’s degrees from MIT, has authored 10 O’Reilly technology books, holds multiple AI patents, and has invested in more than 170 startups as General Partner of the NC Tweener Fund.
1.) What is in your pockets?
The only thing that I ever put in my pocket is my phone. It has a case that holds my license and cards. That’s all I ever take with me.
2.) What exciting thing has happened recently to you or your organization?
After we sold my last company, I talked to several CEO friends and asked what was top of mind. They all commented on trying to figure out what to do with AI. So I thought: If there was ever a time for me to start a consulting organization, this was it.
I’ve been working in and around AI since my undergraduate days and then dating back to my first startup in 2007. Now is the right time and place to help organizations determine an AI strategy. I’m also increasing the amount of development work I do.
I founded ACG to help mid-market organizations determine and implement an AI strategy. My involvement with the NC Tweener Fund, along with seeing so many startups and organizations over the years, has helped me analyze organizations. Then, with my knowledge of AI, I can determine the best ways to apply it to those firms.
3.) What is your favorite coffee spot?
I have a lot of meetings at coffee spots, and my default answer is Sola. I also like Bean Traders a lot; they’ve opened a new location at the intersection of Highway 54 and Davis Drive. That location isn’t as busy, so I go there as often as I can. A quiet spot that very few people know about is Meeple’s Brew. The coffee is great, it’s not busy at all, and it’s located right across the street from the SAS Institute.
4.) What keeps you up at night?
AI—because there’s still so much to be done with it. My productivity has accelerated, even over the last six months, thanks to AI additions, new model updates, and other improvements. Now I can get so much done, which is such a productivity multiplier.
There are always things I could be doing. So, I wake up early, eager to go. Clearly, I must have been thinking about the various clients I’m working on, which makes it a bit of a challenge.
Imagine you could juggle three balls at one time over your whole career. Then, almost overnight, you could juggle 10 balls. There’s an intensity to the work because you can get more done. It certainly doesn’t mean you have more free time. It’s just that you can get more done now and move faster. There’s a real intensity to your day.
5.) What is your favorite restaurant or happy hour?
I’m from Burlington and grew up with Bojangles. It’s one of my favorites, and their chicken biscuits are really good. It’s kind of quirky. It was founded and is still based in Charlotte. When I lived in California, no one had ever heard of a chicken biscuit before; they thought it was a weird concept. If I ever need a guilty pleasure, it’s getting a Bojangles chicken biscuit.
6.) What is next for you or your organization?
ACG is growing like crazy, given all the demand for AI. We’re just trying to navigate how to do this in a sustainable way, bringing in people whom I enjoy working with and working on fun projects.
It’s nice not to have some of the stresses of a startup, such as raising money. We can build it organically, and that suits me just fine. Having come off several VC-backed startups, this is a different approach.
