How FORA Helps CAI's Executives Cut Through the Noise
Executives today are inundated with data from all directions, obscuring the real problems and opportunities that need addressing. FORA, an AI-powered platform co-founded by seasoned tech entrepreneur Joe Essenfeld, is changing that dynamic. By providing clear insights across company conversations, meetings, and documents, FORA is helping leaders like Matt Geffken, an executive at CAI, cut through the noise.
CAI is a private equity-backed supply chain and manufacturing software firm. Its inherently lean structure and lack of a middle management layer presented Matt with a unique challenge – staying informed across multiple teams and projects without consolidated reports. As one of FORA’s early adopters, he sat down to share his experience integrating the platform into his workflow.
Matt explained that FORA’s implementation process begins by connecting the tool to a customer’s Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra workplace directory. This allows FORA to create user accounts, connect calendars, and generate personalized prompts based on employees’ job titles. These personalized prompts are then used to generate tailored meeting summaries and insights. FORA also uses the company’s org chart to assign proper permissions and create initial “lenses” or focus
areas for different user groups. FORA typically collaborates with senior executives to determine these focus areas so that the platform is configured to surface the most relevant insights from the onset.
Matt found implementation to be straightforward. ”You work with your security team to secure basic approvals and permissions, identify key focus areas, and then you’re up and running in a day. In fact, it feels less like a whole ‘implementation’– it’s much simpler than that,” he remarked.
CAI’s fast-paced, acquisition-focused growth strategy requires its executives to track progress and insights across disparate teams. “I can’t be in 15 meetings at once – it’s just not feasible,” Matt said. “FORA allows me to understand what’s happening across my teams and projects without being a part of every conversation. It helps me convert all of this primary source information into manageable pieces.”
While FORA provides visibility across CAI’s operations, Matt also utilizes it to prepare for important meetings. “During our monthly board meetings, I expect intense questioning from all angles,” he said. “ I rely on FORA’s transcripts and insights to enable me to readily address any topic raised.”
But FORA has also become an indispensable part of my daily workflow,” he continued. “It’s constantly surfacing blindspots– crucial details that would’ve otherwise gotten lost amidst all the noise. Those ‘aha’ moments are a part of what makes this platform so crucial for executives.”
FORA provides Matt with the information he needs to stay aligned and agile. As an executive overseeing a rapidly expanding portfolio, he explained that AI-powered platforms like FORA are already becoming mission-critical tools in the modern CIO’s arsenal. By seamlessly integrating into existing workflows, these solutions can quickly return value back to their users – in FORA’s case, by transforming qualitative data into actionable insights.
“FORA represents the future of technology-empowered leadership,” he explained, “and I’m excited to be at the forefront of this transformative shift.”
