A bar conversation. A handshake. A three-week AI proof of concept on a pig farm. Not every AI project starts with a formal brief, and some of the best ones don't.
In this episode, Matt Sharp and Holly Fake sit down with Flexion software engineer Senai Mesfin to walk through the AI invoice automation proof of concept the team built for Hanor, a pork producer operating across six US states. Using AWS Bedrock and machine learning, the team built an AI invoice processing solution from scratch, and by the time the demo was done, the accuracy was sitting at 97%.
Hanor was impressed, but what they really wanted was someone to rebuild their entire data landscape.
Senai speaks about why that pivot made sense, what it actually takes to get your data foundation into a shape where AI can do anything useful with it, and the personal AI tools he builds outside of work – a side of the story that says a lot about where practical AI is heading.
What began as a three-week brief became a five-month data engineering engagement and lasting client relationship. For organizations planning their first AI project, the Hanor story is a reminder that the data problem almost always comes before the AI solution.
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What is The Learning Curve?
The Learning Curve is Flexion’s podcast about navigating change in complex systems — one decision at a time. Each episode explores how organizations can harness technologies like AI not just to follow trends, but to drive measurable impact.
In this season, we’re exploring:
-How real teams are building trust and transparency with AI
-The practical realities of enterprise AI adoption
-Lessons learned from Flexion’s own journey, experimenting with and scaling AI
This isn’t hype. It’s an inside look at the mindset, structure, and strategy needed to lead in an era of continuous change.