Skip to main content
AI Foundation Program

14 days to operational AI readiness.

A structured program for businesses adopting AI with governance, oversight, and a clear ROI model. Starts at $5,000. If we don't identify at least $20,000 of annual ROI by the readout, we refund 50%. You keep every deliverable.

5-minute AI readiness assessment. Custom report in your inbox within a week.

ISO/IEC 42001 aligned governance
AAAD framework
Canadian data residency
14 days
From kickoff to executive readout
12
Board-ready deliverables every Foundation
$20K floor
Identifiable annual ROI guaranteed or 50% refund
$94K
Annualized waste at one 12-person BC operator

Start small. Win fast. Scale smart.

The current operating context

Three things shaping AI adoption in BC right now.

Operational context that's worth weighing as you think about timing.

$500M

The BDC is funding AI adoption directly.

BDC LIFT launched April 2026 with a 2.25% preferential rate when paired with Canadian advisors. About 1,000 Canadian SMEs are targeted in the first cohort, with applications open through Q3 2026.

Source: BDC press release, April 2026
20%+

Workforce demographics are shifting.

20%+ of BC’s construction workforce is 55+. NCCER projects 41% retired by 2031. 245,100 Canadian construction workers are heading to retirement by 2032 against roughly 184,000 replacements. Operational knowledge is moving from people to systems.

Source: BCCA Stat Pack 2024, BuildForce Canada 2023
24%

Productivity differences from AI are measurable.

AI-using Canadian SMEs are 24% more productive than non-users. Only 30% of Canadian SMEs used AI in any form in 2025. The operational difference compounds over time, especially in industries with thin margins.

Source: BDC, April 2026 · Statistics Canada Q2 2025

Sources cited above. These aren't our numbers... they're MIT's, BDC's, and the BCCA's.

How we work

Practical AI adoption, done with structure.

Think of how a good contractor approaches a job. They walk the site, tell you what it costs, do the work, and leave you with something that functions. That's how we approach AI adoption. We start with the realities of your operation. We design a governance policy that fits your business and your insurer. We pilot the workflows that pay off first. We measure, refine, and hand off systems your team owns.

We work with companies that have 30+ staff, real operational complexity, and margins that matter. Construction. Trades. Manufacturing. Distribution. Family-owned operating businesses based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Calm. Practical. Governed. Built for the long run.

Where AI usually pays off first

Patterns we see in most operations.

Across the businesses we work with, certain patterns repeat. Manual handoffs that should be automated. Reports that take weeks to assemble. Tools that don't connect. Past AI pilots that stalled. We surface those patterns in your operation and design the systems that resolve them.

“My team spends half their day on data entry.”

We automate the handoffs and approvals that eat your team's time. Intake, routing, status updates... the stuff that shouldn't require a human.

“I’m making big decisions with no real data.”

We build dashboards from data you're already collecting. The numbers you need before you make a $200K call on hiring or equipment.

“Our team spends weeks every quarter on manual reports.”

We automate catalog updates, recurring reporting, and the work that should already be running on its own. Hours instead of weeks.

“We tried AI tools and nothing stuck.”

Most internal AI experiments fail because they build on a broken workflow with no governance and no team buy-in. We start with the policy, the use cases, and the training so it actually holds.

“We need something built for how we actually work.”

Purpose-built tools for your operation. Scheduling, estimating, information retrieval. Built to fit how your team works, not how a software company thinks you should work.

“Our tools don’t talk to each other.”

We connect your systems so data flows where it needs to go without anyone touching it. Think of it as building the wiring between everything you already use, and cutting the subscriptions you stopped using.

The headline product

AI Foundation.

14 days. 12 deliverables. A Pilot ready to sign on Day 14.

We map how your business actually runs. We surface the workflows worth automating. We price the top opportunities with our technical contractor before the readout. We hand you a Pilot proposal you can sign Day 14, or take the deliverables and walk.

Day 0
Sign
50% deposit, onboarding starts
Day 1–3
Onboarding
Video sent, kickoff call, doc collection
Day 3–10
Discovery
Doc review, 4–8 stakeholder interviews
Day 10–12
Synthesis
Contractor pre-brief, ROI math, governance
Day 12–13
Validation
Champion fact-check, brand polish
Day 14
Readout
Executive presentation, Pilot Pre-Scope handed over

What ships in every Foundation

12 board-ready deliverables, grouped by where they fit in the program.

01Onboarding & training

AI Onboarding Video

30-min training on prompting and governance basics for your team.

AI Governance Policy v1

Customized to your business. AAAD framework, ISO/IEC 42001 aligned.

Stakeholder Memos

Personalized 1-page memo for each leader interviewed during Discovery.

02Diagnosis

Current State Analysis

6 categories scored: Strategy, Data, Process, Tech, Team, Compliance.

Contradictions Report

Where your documented processes diverge from what actually happens.

Opportunity Matrix

10–15 ranked AI workflows with impact, effort, and timeline.

03Pricing & ROI

Implementation Pricing Memo

Top opportunities with contractor-validated CAD pricing.

ROI Business Case

Year 1, 5-year, and payback period per opportunity.

Tool Consolidation Analysis

What to cut. $ savings, typically $20K–$70K per year.

04Roadmap & next step

Vendor Recommendations

Curated for your stack and the Canadian market.

12-Month Roadmap

Phased adoption plan, maintenance schedule included.

Pilot Pre-Scope

First project scoped, fixed-priced, ready to sign on Day 14.

Quality guarantee

The $20,000 ROI Floor.

If we don't surface at least $20,000 of identifiable annual ROI plus a customized AI governance policy by Day 14, we refund 50% of the Foundation fee. You keep all 12 deliverables.

Reid's Auto, a 12-person operation, surfaced $94,800 of annualized workflow waste in one engagement. The floor is conservative on purpose.

Pricing

Know the cost before the call.

AI FOUNDATION
Starts at $5,000

14 days. 12 deliverables. Quality guarantee: $20,000 identifiable annual ROI by the readout, or we refund 50%.

Sign before September 30, 2026 and we'll add:
  • BDC LIFT Application Pack · Foundation deliverables formatted for BDC LIFT loan applications (~$1,500 value)
  • Q4 Budget Lock-In · 30-min budget-planning call to align Pilot/Retainer with your fiscal year (~$500 value)
  • Pilot-to-Retainer Half-Rate · first month of Embedded AI Partnership at $2,500 instead of $5,000 if Pilot signs within 30 days of readout and Retainer signs within 30 days of Pilot completion ($2,500 value)

25-minute call. Quote in your inbox within 48 hours if we're a fit.

Workflow ROI Discovery

$2,750

5-day sprint scoping ONE specific workflow you want fixed.

100% credit toward Pilot if engaged within 30 days.

Pilot Project

$8K-$18K

We build one workflow end-to-end. 4 to 6 weeks. Production-stable.

Typical engagement: $13K.

Strategic Retainer

From $5K/mo

Embedded AI partner. New systems shipped monthly. Existing systems maintained.

No vendor lock-in.

Other engagements

AI Workshop

$4,500 half-day or $7,250 full-day. Hands-on team training on workflows we've identified or built. Sold as add-on to Foundation or Pilot, not as a standalone entry point.

How We Actually Help

Real questions. Real answers.

These are the conversations we have with BC operators every week.

“Where do I start?”

Take our 5-minute AI Readiness Assessment. You'll get a custom report with your readiness score, top pain points, and a recommended next step. Free. If you've already got a specific workflow you want fixed, book a triage call. We'll point you at the right entry within 30 minutes.

5 MINUTES TO YOUR CUSTOM READINESS REPORT

“How do I know the ROI is real?”

We map it. With your actual numbers. Our AI Foundation surfaces every opportunity ranked by ROI, with conservative, expected, and optimistic projections built on your real labor costs. Implementation pricing is validated by our technical contractors before the readout, so you get real CAD numbers, not estimates. If we don't surface at least $20,000 in identifiable annual ROI, we refund 50% and you keep every deliverable.

$20K+ ROI GUARANTEED OR 50% REFUND

“What if we just need one workflow scoped?”

That's Workflow ROI Discovery. $2,750. Five-day sprint. Workflow map, AI fit analysis, contractor-validated implementation pricing, and a fixed-price Pilot proposal ready to sign. The $2,750 credits 100% toward the Pilot if you proceed within 30 days.

5 DAYS TO A FIXED-PRICE PILOT PROPOSAL

“What if we just need one thing built?”

That's a Pilot Project. One workflow. Designed, built, tested, deployed, trained, and handed off. 4 to 6 weeks. Production-stable from day one. You own everything we build. No vendor lock-in. If you like how it goes, we keep building. If not, you've still got a working system.

4 TO 6 WEEKS DESIGN TO PRODUCTION

“We need ongoing help, not a one-off.”

That's the Strategic Retainer. We become your AI team. Starting at $5,000 per month. New systems shipped monthly. Existing systems maintained. Strategic guidance always on. You get a dedicated AI partner without hiring a department.

FROM $5K PER MONTH
About Zorn AI

Who you'll work with.

Zorn AI is led by Jacob Zorn (CEO, co-founder) and Mark Taylor (President, co-founder). 50/50 owners. Vancouver, BC.

Built for businesses that build real things.

JZ
Jacob Zorn
CEO, Co-Founder · 50% owner

Founder-builder. Leads strategy, engineering, and program delivery. Speaks to COOs and ops leaders.

LinkedIn
MT
Mark Taylor
President, Co-Founder · 50% owner

ex-AMPD President · ex-MonkeyMedia VP · ex-Best Buy Canada VP Client Services. Speaks to owners and CEOs.

LinkedIn
FAQ

Hard questions. Straight answers.

Where to start

Foundation might be right for you if...

You run a business with 30+ staff and real operational complexity. You want AI adoption done with structure, governance, and a clear ROI model rather than scattered experiments. You'd rather a 14-day program with measurable outputs than a six-month engagement with a slide deck at the end.

If that's you, the 5-minute readiness assessment is the lowest-friction starting point. It gives you a custom report with practical next steps, free. If you'd rather skip ahead, the form below opens a 25-minute triage call where we'll confirm fit before quoting.

Currently scheduling Foundations 2–3 weeks out.

5-minute readiness assessment, custom report in your inbox within a week. Or fill in the form below for a 25-minute triage call.

Tell us what's going on.

25-minute triage call. We'll reply within 1 business day.

Or reach us directly at info@zornai.com · +1 (778) 809-0987