Why Most AI Projects Don’t Show ROI | Sid Bharath

Most AI projects fail long before the model gets a fair chance to prove ROI. In this episode of An Hour of Innovation podcast, Vit Lyoshin speaks with Sid Bharath, founder of Refound, about why companies struggle to turn AI projects into real business value. Sid explains why big “AI makeover” projects often disappoint, why better models alone do not fix broken workflows, and how teams can identify the smallest useful piece of work to automate before scaling agents across the business. The conversation covers workflow audits, AI-native organizations, human-in-the-loop work, AI agents in sales and operations, and the skills people need as repetitive work moves to AI. They discussed: * Why large AI transformation projects often fail to show ROI * How older models, unclear workflows, and missing context create bad AI outcomes * What leaders misunderstand about becoming “AI-native” * How to audit a workflow before deciding what to automate * Why sales, CRM updates, proposals, contracts, and admin work are strong AI-agent use cases * What parts of work should stay human, including strategy, creativity, relationships, and review * How AI changes decision-making and day-to-day work inside a company * Why agents work best when employees learn by seeing them operate on real tasks * What startup founders can automate first when time and resources are limited * Which business processes may shrink or disappear as agents become normal * Why Sid believes AI agents will become part of the company org chart Sid Bharath is the founder of Refound, where he helps non-technical companies rethink their operations for the AI age. His work focuses on finding business bottlenecks, mapping real workflows, and building AI agents that employees can manage alongside their existing roles. His perspective is especially useful for founders, operators, product leaders, engineers, and business teams trying to move from AI experiments to practical workflow automation. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Why AI Projects Miss ROI 03:10 What It Means to Be AI-Native 04:13 Why AI Implementations Fail 09:47 How Refound Finds Automation Opportunities 13:11 What to Automate and What to Keep Human 19:55 How AI Changes Everyday Decision-Making 24:16 Training Teams to Work With AI Agents 27:06 Where AI Agents Don’t Belong 28: 59 A Startup Playbook for AI Operations 33:00 The Future of AI-Driven Business 38:49 How to Start Experimenting With AI 41:19 Innovation Q&A Connect with Sid * Website: https://refoundai.com/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidbharath/ * X: https://x.com/Siddharth87 * Other: https://sidbharath.com/ Connect with Vit * Substack: https://anhourofinnovation.substack.com/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vit-lyoshin/ * X: https://x.com/vitlyoshin * Website: https://vitlyoshin.com/ Support the Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, you can support it by exploring the tools below. These are affiliate links, meaning the show earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. MeetGeek: Record, transcribe, summarize, and share insights from every meeting. https://get.meetgeek.ai/yjteozr4m6ln Amplemarket: Step into the future of sales: Human + AI. Empower reps, uncover opportunities, and grow revenue. https://grow.amplemarket.com/04e068165684-affiliate Databox: Turn business performance data into clear answers your team can understand, explain, and act on – instantly. https://join.databox.com/vhw0wbr9qg9o For inquiries about sponsoring An Hour of Innovation, email iris@anhourofinnovation.com