Tobias Zwingmann

RAPYD.AI

Independent AI consulting to create profitable AI solutions to innovate and grow your business. Fast.

Managing Partner

O'Reilly Media

Author and Instructor

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Learning Instructor

D2A2

Chief of Research - Applied AI

Springboard

- Helping Springboard as a subject matter expert in AI, especially for data analytics
- Mentoring students who want to switch careers to data science / data analytics 
- Top Mentor Award in 2021 (Springboard Inspire)

AI SME & Data Science Mentor

Insurgence

Partner

Toptal

Independent Consultant

Data Science Dojo

ML/AI Instructor

Deutsche Messe AG

Systematic retrieval, analysis and utilization of (unstructured) data from diverse sources to build new products and processes.

- People movement analytics 
- Computer vision with focus on text retrieval

Senior Data Scientist

Building & maintaining predictive models. Generating and communicating insights about customer trends and behavior to product owners and senior management.

- Churn Prediction
- Next Best Offer Recommendations 
- Customer Segmentation
- Visual Analytics

Data Scientist

Leading various international trade show projects in e.g. China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey.

Project Director

Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch

Management Trainee

Author of AI-Powered BI (O'REILLY) | AI Coach & Mentor | I help organizations leverage AI and use data more intelligently to improve business performance. Sharing AI use cases & learnings.

I didn’t start my AI/ML journey doing “Profitable AI”.

I started it as a Data Scientist who built models that looked impressive on paper:

– Customer churn prediction with 95% accuracy ✅
– Next-best-offer systems with 15% uplift ✅
– Data-driven B2B products generating 6-figure revenues from day one ✅

But the hard lesson I’ve learned after 10+ years at the intersection of business and technology is that none of this matters if you can’t show results on the bottom line.

I’ve spent the last 5+ years in applied AI consulting where my work has taken me inside global enterprises in automotive and insurance, mid-sized companies with 500–1,000 employees, solopreneurs aiming to double their output, and small business owners uncovering $10k+ monthly savings in unexpected places. 

The contexts differ, but the patterns of what makes AI succeed (and fail) remain remarkably consistent.

Success is not about:
- Chasing the next shiny AI tool
- Hiring data scientists from Silicon Valley
- Hoping IT will figure it out

It’s about applying the principles of Profitable AI to deliver outcomes that matter: doing things faster, at lower cost, with higher quality — or scaling what you do to entirely new levels.

Along the way, I’ve shared many of these lessons in my books AI-Powered Business Intelligence (O’Reilly, 2022) and Augmented Analytics (O’Reilly, 2024), as well as in my weekly newsletter that is now read by 10,000+ professionals at companies like Google, Amazon, Gucci, H&M, Santander, and Mercedes-Benz.

So If you’re tired of the shiny AI demos and want to see it deliver real results instead — I think you found a good place.

We help you build amazing AI products faster.

Gemini 3 is making a lot of noise. And it's a really great model. "Is it better than GPT-5?!" My take: Use whatever works for you. Both are LLMs, both have their quirks. But if you want to know where each shines, here's what I found:

Gemini 3 = Messy Inputs → Clean Outputs
Throw it chaos: screenshots, transcripts, logs, mixed documents. It's great at compressing that mess into structure. Best when you're very specific about the output format you want. Seems like if you need to organize messy information, call Google.

Examples:
- Summarizing multiple meeting recordings into structured notes
- Extracting data from a messy pile of PDFs, screenshots, and spreadsheets

GPT-5.1 = Clean Inputs → Complex Thinking
Give it organized information and let it reason. It's great at planning, narrative, and multi-step decisions. Best when the task itself is complex, not the input.

Examples:
- Writing code (though Claude still beats it here)
- Building a strategy doc from a clean brief

Scenarios to combine both:

1/ Competitive analysis
Gemini 3 gathers data from competitor sites, pricing, and reviews; GPT 5.1 delivers the strategy

2/ Client onboarding
Gemini 3 cleans and organizes intake docs; GPT 5.1 produces the project plan

3/ Sales pipeline review
Gemini 3 compiles CRM data, calls, and emails; GPT 5.1 spots trends and recommends actions.

Don't try to find "the" best. 
Find whatever works best for you.

Fun fact: The infographic was done by me with Gemini-3 image gen ("Nano Banana"), first shot, Prompt in comments.

AI Advisor | O’Reilly Author | Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning | I find & realize profitable AI opportunities – here to share wins, fails, examples & frameworks.

I see a lot of confusion around AI workflows, AI agents, workflow automation, and agentic workflows. Most people can't even tell the difference. Which isn't a problem until you want to build an AI solution that is neither over-engineered nor insufficient.

So I put together a quick guide that breaks down each type and when to use what, along with a few examples.

Read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/erYqeVPi

AI Workflows vs. AI Agents

ChatGPT launched today 3 years ago. ONLY three years I should say. Feels like a decade compressed. To catch you up on what’s happened, I generated this little timeline with the help of ChatGPT Deep Research, had Gemini 3 double-check it, and Claude 4.5 generated the PDF.

Tasks like this would have taken a whole day in the "old" world.
Now done in less than 60 minutes with AI.

We're still far away from AGI.
But I don't care.
We're living in the most exciting timeline.
And I can’t wait to see what this timeline looks like 3 years from now.

3 Years Since ChatGPT

A while ago, I shared the AI Profit Stack – a simple framework to assess whether your AI projects are actually creating profit. People loved it, clients used it. Then someone asked me:

“How do I apply this to my Copilot licenses?”

Short answer:
You don’t.

Long answer:
Trying to measure all AI with the same ROI formula is exactly how you end up with fictional numbers, cynical finance teams, and AI steering committees that debate themselves into extinction.

Today I've shared the fix I'm using now in every client engagement – and the one I want you to have too.

Find it here here:

Open article: The Two Tracks of AI ROI by blog.tobiaszwingmann.com

How to separate 'AI that helps' from 'AI that pays'

a Regional Community Development Financial Institution 

Covering Maine and working with 30+ housing, worker-owned business, food, and farmer clients to secure financing for conversions and growth.  Tasks include underwriting loan applications, conducting outreach, supporting current and potential borrowers, working with community based organizations, and providing business technical assistance. Always looking for partnerships and co-lending arrangements!

Loan and Outreach Officer - Maine

MaineStream Finance

As a non-profit CDFI lender (and part of Penquis CAP), we assisted Maine homeowners and business owners in realizing their dreams through advisory and financial services and coordinated programs around credit counseling, foreclosure counseling, home repair, and asset building.   We were able to reduce PAR90 from over 10% to less than 2%, cross-train and certify our counselors across multiple programs, launch multiple new loan products and programs, and helped raise several million in capital and grant funding.  We also helped found the coordinating body - Business Resource Partners of Greater Bangor.

Chief Executive Officer

International Executive Service Corps (IESC)

Led the growth of IESC's financial services practice area, focusing on financial inclusion in the sub-sectors of SME and agriculture finance and the geographic regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, MENA and Asia.  Provided technical guidance to programs, particularly in Egypt, Liberia, Lebanon, Mali, and Yemen and as an OPIC-designated loan advisor and originator.

AVP, Financial Services

Primarily finalizing a contract with Pohl Consulting and WSBI (through EIB) to provide support to an MFI in Haiti on social performance management (SPM) implementation and serving as the interim Financial Services Practice Lead for IESC until my family's physical move to Washington, DC could be completed.

Development Finance Specialist

AZMJ LLC (cka Connexus)

• Provided technical assistance to local service providers in North and Sub Saharan Africa on youth enterprise & financial services and agricultural & rural finance development.
• Conducted in-depth analysis of businesses and financial institutions for investors and other clients.
• Assisted in the coordination of Social Performance Management (SPM) efforts, especially appropriate product development.

Senior Financial Services Specialist

MicroSave

• Managed $6 million Gates Foundation program, focusing on savings & mobile money for 10+ financial service partners with team of 12+. 
• Coordinated development of mobile-based savings product for Standard Bank (GAFIS-South Africa).  
• Coordinated development of seven (7) new toolkits and several resource documents, particularly in mobile money.  
• Managed Hyderabad office for 13 staff.  Led three practice groups and guided several other nascent practice groups.  
• Co-created leadership development program for 15+ high potential staff and new performance management system.  
• Merged $650,000 Unitus Social Performance Implementation Project (SPIP - Dell & Deutsche Bank foundations).

Vice President

• Conducted research and partner coordination in social performance management (SPM) tools for Imp-Act Consortium.  
• Provided analysis and reviews of Calvert Foundation’s existing MFI loan portfolio in Latin America and Eastern Europe.   
• Coordinated due diligence training of eight ACDI/VOCA staff for potential development finance investment fund.
• Co-created training of trainers (TOT) on “Building Analytical Skills for Microfinance Decision-Making” for 15 attendees.  
• Provided technical assistance for EDC/FHI (USAID) Youth Enterprise Development (YED) program in Bukavu, DRC.

Senior Analyst and Researcher

Capital Link, Inc.

Managed Capital Link’s role in the Medical Homes-DC $20 million initiative to improve and expand Washington, DC health centers, including budgeting and financing assistance.

Project Consultant - DC Medical Homes Lead

• Managed workloads, assessed development needs and recruited for a team of four (4) consultants who collectively provided assistance to non-profits in 29 states.
• Assisted management team in implementing policies, such as a new goals oriented staff assessment process as well as in strategic planning and budgeting.

Eastern Division Director

• Assisted 18 non-profit health centers in structuring & securing over $60 million in grants & loans through banks, CDFIs, tax credits (new markets & historic), federal loan guarantees and tax-exempt bonds.  
• Co-presented in over 10 training seminars at national and state level conferences.  
• Collaborated with team members in developing lending programs, creating and refining new quantitative tools, such as a lease versus buy analysis, developing a financing sources database, and co-producing three resource materials.

Capital Finance Consultant

Fleet Bank (cka Bank of America)

• Analyzed creditworthiness of commercial banking non-profit clients, primarily hospitals, nursing homes, and universities.   
• Aided relationship team in maintaining and monitoring portfolio of 35+ clients and over $100 million in credit facilities.  
• Created loan closing and renewal tracking database to monitor existing exposure and develop new business.  
• Led creation of Healthcare Industry White Paper, working across several departments and state offices, including risk management and economic forecasting, and covering several sub-sectors such as hospitals, mental health, & tertiary care.

Senior Financial Analyst - AVP

Univest Financial Services (also known as GMAC MortgageResCap and Ally Financial)

Participated in due diligence of seven (7) home mortgage securitization review and packaging series for secondary markets to ensure compliance with buyer standards.

Due Diligence Contractor

Community development finance professional with 25+ years of experience in both management and operations for microfinance, community development finance, and commercial banking in domestic US and overseas, particularly in Africa and South Asia. Technical skills in product development, entrepreneurship development, social performance, and financial transaction structuring for financial inclusion and access.

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