Author
Dr. Oliver Gausmann
Managing Director, Convios GmbH. Lecturer at the Department of Informatics, University of Zurich. Scaling B2B software, integration after acquisitions, AI in day-to-day operations, and global software management.
About me
I've sat on both sides of the deal table: I sold my own company into an integration and then led four integrations for the buyer. I work with B2B software companies and their investors when growth, financing, or an integration is on the table: in CEO, COO, and CCO roles, on supervisory and advisory boards, or through Convios. I notice that in AI rollouts the bottleneck usually sits with the people who have to use the tools.
I earned my doctorate at the University of Augsburg in Business Information Systems, summa cum laude. My research focused on situational value networks: collaboration and data exchange between companies and systems across organizational boundaries, in the context of order-driven product individualization. Back then, we called it mass customization. Today it's called composable enterprise or agentic workflows across organizational boundaries. Twenty years ago this was basic research. Today it sits on every board agenda, usually under a new name. I also hold a Diploma in Corporate Governance with Distinction from The Corporate Governance Institute.
As a lecturer at the Department of Informatics, University of Zurich, I teach an MSc lecture and a BSc seminar. My courses cover global software management and aspects of AI and regulation in enterprise settings. If you want to know how I work: I write my articles myself. I use Claude and Perplexity for research and feedback. Editorial judgment stays with me.
What I focus on
CEO, COO, and CCO roles, supervisory and advisory boards
When a company needs direction before the next phase begins. My focus: economic scaling of B2B SaaS companies.
AI in day-to-day operations
From baseline assessment to first operational agent in 90 days.
Efficient global software management
Developing software economically when teams, systems, and suppliers sit across borders.
EU AI Act, ISO 42001, and NIS2
High-risk obligations under the AI Act apply from December 2027 or August 2028, depending on the system. I explain what that means for your risk classification.
Publications
Articles and analyses
- Market & StrategyAI & Technology
AI Scenarios to 2029: What's Possible and What Creates Lasting Value
AI scenarios to 2029: which AI projects create lasting value, and which early indicators point to a plateau or an acceleration.
September 30, 2026 · 21 min
- Market & StrategyPE Operations
Scaling B2B software sales: four stages from founder-led selling to a sales machine
Scaling B2B software sales in four stages: the number that matters at each stage, and how to tell where your sales team stands today.
September 30, 2026 · 9 min
- Market & StrategyAI & Technology
AI Pricing Models in 2026: The AI Price Ladder from Tokens to Outcomes
Token prices keep falling while AI bills keep growing, and vendors keep swapping their counting units. The AI price ladder sorts today's AI pricing models in five steps.
August 10, 2026 · 16 min
- Market & StrategySoftware & Delivery
Headless Software: Why Value Moves into the Permission Layer When AI Agents Skip the Interface
AI agents run software through APIs and MCP while the screen stays dark. Why headless software shifts value into permissions, audit trails and codified business rules.
August 2, 2026 · 7 min
- PE OperationsMarket & Strategy
AI Due Diligence: How Investors Re-Underwrite Software Deals in 2026
Tech deal value fell 70% in a single quarter because investors stopped trusting software valuations under AI pressure. A four-field AI due diligence playbook for boards, buyers and sellers.
July 28, 2026 · 8 min
- AI & Technology
A Forty-Ton Truck for a Loaf of Bread: Cutting AI Costs Without Cutting Quality
A factor of ten separates the strongest model from the smallest. Cutting AI costs starts with sorting your tasks.
July 21, 2026 · 9 min
- Market & StrategySoftware & Delivery
Building your B2B SaaS castle: how niche players dig a moat in the AI era
How smaller, niche B2B SaaS companies build a defensible castle, on their own data, deep workflow, regulation and a physical layer.
June 24, 2026 · 8 min
- Market & StrategyAI & Technology
Scaling B2B SaaS in the AI era: the wall everyone builds and the moat that pays
Around six percent of companies turn AI into real bottom-line value. Four levers and a well-dug moat separate the winners from the expensive rest.
June 14, 2026 · 9 min
- PE OperationsMarket & Strategy
The clock is gone: how longer hold periods change the buy-and-build platform
Hold periods keep stretching and evergreen vehicles keep launching. What that does to the buy-and-build platform, and where the line between group and company should really run.
June 11, 2026 · 9 min
- Software & DeliveryMarket & Strategy
How B2B software scales beyond direct sales: three levers from three operator roles
In 2026, most B2B software no longer scales through direct sales alone. Three levers from three mandates, plus one thing that holds them all together.
May 2, 2026 · 11 min
- Market & StrategyPE Operations
MCP and B2B Software Business Models: What Changes for Private Equity
Anthropic's keynote on the future of the Model Context Protocol in London and what it implies for B2B software business models, pricing, and PE valuations.
April 21, 2026 · 10 min
Academic publications
Peer-reviewed publications and citations on Google Scholar.
View Google Scholar profileOutside of work
When I'm not working, I fly. Private pilot license, seaplane rating. Good practice for decisions you can't take back.