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Craig Francisco
Strategy and Growth

Craig Francisco Listed

Former COO, 35 acquisitions. Helping leaders protect the one thing AI can’t copy: Judgment.

Keynote speaker, workshop leader, subject-matter expert, and retreat facilitator

Strategy and GrowthLeadership and CultureOperations and Execution
+2 moreAI and TechnologyExit, Succession, and Ownership

Sending an inquiry is free. You confirm the date, fee, and terms with Craig before anything is booked.

Speaking fees
Custom quote
3 sessions below
Formats
Keynote, Workshop, Experience
In person or virtual
Based in
Cleveland, OH
Based in Cleveland Ohio, happy to travel anywhere for keynotes and workshops.
Organizer feedback
None collected yet
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Sessions and fees

Every fee below is published by Craig. Custom quote means Craig prices that session for your event.

Build the Advantage No Competitor Can Download

Custom quote
WorkshopHalf dayIn person
For entrepreneurs and business owners, CEOs and senior executives, executive peer groups, and boards and nonprofit leaders.

Everyone can rent the same AI, so generic tools make companies more alike, not more competitive. Craig shows the alternative through the architecture and a live demo of an AI system built on one company’s captured expertise. The room then works through exercises to find the knowledge their own advantage runs on.

  • A filter to judge any AI tool or vendor before spending a dollar.
  • A map of the expertise in their company that was never written down.
  • A first AI use case built on their own know-how, using Align. Capture. Deploy.
Session details and terms
Promotion: None proposed. Required purchases: None. Attendee follow-up: None.

Reclaim Your Judgment: Winning When Everyone Has the Same AI

Custom quote
KeynoteUnder 1 hourIn person or virtual
For entrepreneurs and business owners, CEOs and senior executives, and executive peer groups.

Every company now has access to the same AI, and the ones that lean on it hardest are starting to look the same. Drawing on 25+ years as an operator and 35 acquisitions, Craig makes the case that the advantage comes from the judgment AI can’t copy, and shows what it looks like to build on it. The room leaves with a filter they can apply to any AI decision on Monday.

  • Why renting the same AI as competitors makes a company easier to replace.
  • A filter to judge any AI tool or vendor before spending a dollar.
  • The first question to ask about where their company’s real advantage lives.
Session details and terms
Promotion: None proposed. Required purchases: None. Attendee follow-up: None.

The Advantage No One Can Rent: An AI Strategy Retreat for Leadership Teams

Custom quote
Retreat or experienceFlexibleIn person
For entrepreneurs and business owners, CEOs and senior executives, executive peer groups, and boards and nonprofit leaders.

A working session for a leadership team, not a talk. Craig opens with why generic AI makes companies interchangeable, then guides the team through uncovering the expertise their advantage depends on and where AI should build on it. The team leaves aligned on priorities and a first project, in a half or full day.

  • A shared map of the judgment that actually drives their company’s results.
  • Two or three AI use cases built on what only their team knows.
  • An action plan with owners and a clear first project, using Align. Capture. Deploy.
Session details and terms
Promotion: None proposed. Required purchases: None. Attendee follow-up: None.

About Craig

Craig Francisco has spent 25+ years as an operator and COO, leading 35 acquisitions across 12 countries and more than 1,000 leaders. He built and sold his own company, RōBEX, before founding Telios Technology Partners, which builds custom AI systems for mid-market companies.

His message: everyone can rent the same AI, and the companies leaning on it hardest are starting to look the same. Through his Reclaim Your Judgment keynotes and workshops, Craig shows leaders how to build AI on the expertise only their people have, so it strengthens their advantage instead of erasing it.

An approved Vistage speaker and host of the podcast At the Intersection, Craig speaks the way a peer would: candid, practical, and grounded in real deals.

“Everyone can rent the same AI. No one can rent your judgment. Reclaim it, and the advantage is yours.”

Media and books

Related books, services, and programs
Consulting or advisorySomething else

Telios Technology Partners: Craig’s advisory firm builds custom AI systems for mid-market companies, starting with the expertise their people carry but never wrote down. A natural next step for leadership teams after a talk. At the Intersection: Craig’s podcast, where organizers can hear how he thinks before they book.

Learn more at teliospartners.com (opens in a new tab)

Organizer feedback

No organizer feedback collected yet. Reviews appear on Verified profiles, collected by Short List Speakers from organizers who booked the speaker and published regardless of sentiment. How we collect feedback