Build Or Buy AI? A CTO Explains Why Data, Governance, And Control Matter Most (Article)

012326-EC-B-0007

Ella Haman and Kapitus

Ella Haman is the chief technology officer for Kapitus, a financial services firm that provides financing primarily to small businesses. Kapitus has invested heavily in internal AI systems to help advisors make faster, more accurate financing decisions. The company chose to build many solutions in-house rather than rely solely on external software providers, and Haman, as CTO, has been deeply involved.

Why Build Internally

Many businesses are weighing whether to build or buy AI and digital capabilities. Beyond technical steps, there are strategic and operational tradeoffs to consider. For organizations planning to develop capabilities internally, the following lessons from Haman are instructive; and they also point to where a specialized social media consulting agency can add immediate, measurable value.

The Starting Point Is The Data

AI and digital programs depend on reliable data. Kapitus prioritized data completeness and accuracy before deploying AI.

“AI only works if the underlying data is secure, governed, visible, and usable. Most AI failures happen before models are ever deployed,” Haman said.

Many companies face common data problems: empty fields, outdated or incorrect information, and inconsistent entries. Attempting automation on unreliable data leads to poor outcomes. Haman prioritized cleaning and governing underlying databases before implementing internal AI platforms.

Where a social media consulting agency helps: agencies perform rapid data audits across customer touchpoints, align social analytics with CRM records, and set up dashboards that make social metrics actionable for underwriting, marketing, and sales teams. That shortens the time from insight to impact without forcing a full internal build first.

Don’t Do Everything At Once

Large challenges are best handled by breaking them into smaller, manageable pieces. AI and digital transformation should follow the same principle: focus on small, measurable automations rather than attempting a single, massive replacement of existing systems.

In private equity and similar environments, firms like Kapitus deploy AI to remove friction and human bottlenecks incrementally. Haman has concentrated on automating early, repetitive steps rather than trying to replicate human judgment wholesale.

“The real gains come from automating early and repetitive steps, not replicating human judgment. We’ve been doing this through small, measurable chunks rather than trying to build one massive solution,” she said.

Where a social media consulting agency helps: agencies can design phased pilots that deliver quick wins; for example, automating lead capture from social campaigns, A/B testing creative, and routing qualified leads into existing workflows. These pilots produce measurable ROI and provide the data needed to justify larger internal investments.

Governance Is Critical

Data governance; the framework of processes, policies, roles, and standards that ensures data is managed effectively, securely, and consistently; is essential. Oversight matters.

Haman emphasizes that governance over AI systems and their processes is as important as innovation, and arguably the most important part of an internal AI program. Firms like Kapitus manage large volumes of confidential financial data from clients and external sources; misuse or loss of that data could be catastrophic.

“It’s our own private data and it comes from external sources like credit rating agencies as well as transactions and other operational sources. Having it governed and usable is critical,” Haman said.

To address this, Kapitus invested time in creating standards, roadmaps, and governance structures. The company formed an AI Council to define rules for evaluating tools, making decisions, and deploying applications.

“Professionally deploying our systems; how we secure it, authenticate it, retrieve and log data; that’s where governance really matters,” she said.

Where a social media consulting agency helps: agencies bring governance templates, compliance-ready processes, and role-based access controls tailored to regulated industries. They can help integrate social data into an enterprise governance framework quickly and safely, reducing risk while preserving speed.

Control and Tradeoffs

A common theme among technology leaders who choose to build internal systems is control. For Haman, the decision to develop AI in-house was driven less by vendor capability and more by the need to retain command over data, economics, and outcomes.

“We not only want control of the data, but we want to feel confident and have the ability to move quickly. That doesn’t mean we don’t use outside vendors, but if we do we need to know the ROI,” she said.

Building internally is costly, time-consuming, and carries risks. Done correctly, however, it gives a company full control over data, processes, and the AI agents it creates, enabling systems to operate according to the organization’s priorities rather than forcing expensive or risky compromises.

Where a social media consulting agency helps: a specialist partner can act as an extension of your team; delivering expertise, measurable campaigns, and vendor evaluations while preserving your control. Agencies provide transparent ROI models, short-term deliverables, and knowledge transfer so internal teams retain ownership without absorbing all upfront cost and time.