Grant Son

Research First. AI Second. Judgment Turns the "Triple Play" at Babson College. In baseball, a "Triple Play" can change the momentum of a game. This week at Babson College, we had two Triple Plays - Jessica D'Atri (Horn Library) and G. Jonathan Griffiths II (Weissman Foundry & The Generator) both rewired how my students in 3 sections of my Principles of Marketing course think, use and apply secondary research and AI tools. In the Library Research session, Jessica D'Atri showed us how marketing consultants ground strategy in credible sources and secondary research — IBISWorld, Statista, Mintel, Ad Age, Winmo —and why disciplined research is the difference between “I think” and “the evidence shows.” Jess took us inside key databases where professionals build a factual backbone before proposing a single idea. For many in the class, it was the first time they saw how quickly assumptions fall apart when real data enters the room, and how insight emerges only when information is interpreted with structure and intent, and the vast resources of information and stewardship we have at the Babson College Horn Library. In the AI best practices session in the Weissman Foundry, G. Jonathan Griffiths II showed us how AI is a force multiplier, accelerating market scans, mapping competitors, pressure-testing positioning, exploring brand identity, and generating early creative with far more speed and structure. Jonathan also made something equally clear - AI without judgment is just noise. My students saw both sides in real time: moments when AI sharpened their thinking, and moments when it confidently invented details that collapsed under scrutiny. The lesson landed like the call from the umpire: marketing consultants must lead the tool, validate its output, and apply context where AI cannot. What made these two sessions invaluable learning was how seamlessly they interlocked and brought everything back to the core consulting skills of context, narrative, and judgment. Five takeaways worth sharing: - Start with facts. Rigorous, triangulated research is non‑negotiable. - Ask sharper questions. Framing drives insight; collecting data isn’t the same as understanding it. - Lead the tool. AI is an accelerator—not a strategist—and every output requires validation. - Connect evidence to narrative and context. Strategy must fit the brand’s constraints and ambitions. - Exercise judgment. Synthesize, prioritize, and own the recommendation. A big thank you to Jessica D'Atri and G. Jonathan Griffiths II for investing your time, talents and expertise in creating such strong momentum early in the semester and pulling off the “Babson Triple Play.” Your combined focus on evidence, AI fluency, and judgment gave my marketing consultants a solid strategic foundation they’ll be leaning on throughout their client engagements this semester! #BabsonTriplePlay #BabsonHornLibrary #WeissmanFoundry #TheGenerator #RealWorldLearning

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Uncertainty is bad for business. For the last few years, college athletics has operated in a gray area — legally, financially, operationally. That uncertainty made it difficult for schools, athletes, and partners to plan for the future with confidence. With today’s decision, the House v. NCAA settlement brings long-awaited clarity. It’s not the final answer, but it’s a foundation. A starting point. Now, the industry can shift from uncertainty to strategy — and finally move forward. #EmpowerYourData #NCAA #HouseSettlement #CollegeSports #SportsBusiness #NIL #Leadership #NextChapter

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"Boston has the schools. SF has the companies. 21 of the Forbes AI 50 founders went to school in Boston—then left for San Francisco. If SF doesn’t learn from this cautionary tale, Austin and Miami will." - Garry Tan Boston invested decades in educating these founders through the world’s most elite institutions. Harvard. MIT. Among best computer science programs on the planet. Then Boston watched them leave. Not for marginal gains—for the entire AI revolution. The city that should own artificial intelligence doesn’t have a single company on the Forbes AI 50 headquartered there. https://lnkd.in/epFZRXf5

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Next week I’ll be speaking at Nixon Peabody LLP’s “Hot Topics in Sports Investments” panel in New York. Today, capital is flowing into everything around sports — team ownership, media rights, NIL, athlete-driven brands, data platforms, youth sports, and the emerging world of SportFi. It’s fascinating to watch the ecosystem evolve as more investors enter the market. Looking forward to sharing perspectives from my journey as an MLB player, Olympian, and now sports investor — and learning from others building in the space. If you’re in NYC, hope to see you there. #SportsInvesting #SportsBusiness #SportFi #PrivateEquity #NIL #SportsFinance True Up Capital Advisors #YouthSports #AddMoreAthletes

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Gamma + n8n + GPT-5 is kind of wild... It basically turned into an AI presentation engine that pulled in $47K in deck services last month. 🤯 While agencies charge $3K–$5K per deck and take two weeks… this thing spits out investor-grade presentations in *11 minutes.* No designers. No PowerPoint prison. No revision hell. 🙏 Here’s the workflow in plain words: → Client fills a form with 5 things: topic, audience, goal, brand colors, deadline → n8n fires off a GPT-5 run that builds the entire narrative architecture → Gamma renders a polished, investor-ready deck instantly → System auto-exports to Drive, drafts the client email, logs everything in Sheets → Every output is tracked so delivery is literally instant And the whole stack runs 24/7 while you sleep. 😴⚙️ Why it feels unfair: → You generate 50 variations while competitors build 1 manually → Each deck costs pennies, you charge $500–$2K → No designers slowing anything down → Quality looks Fortune-500 level → Delivery happens automatically through pre-written emails One consultant used this to productize their entire firm. They jumped from 4 custom decks a month to 40+. Same workload… just scaled by automation. 📈 The real shift is psychological: You’re not selling “presentations.” You’re selling *presentation infrastructure* that compounds.

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The creator economy is now valued at ~$250B+ and set to scale rapidly (thanks G2 for the stat). So now more than ever amid all the automation tools, generative-AI content, and omni-channel creator noise, people with true subject-matter expertise need a way to cut through. The new Udemy Production Hub helps creators, subject matter experts and learning design leaders transform their domain expertise into impactful dare I say authentic content (I did, I said it) that bridges the gap between passion and tangible impact. Shout out to Ava Plasse and Gaby Araujo Z. for leading this project and sharing their expertise with the community. It’s only the start. Link in comments. #content #learning #AI

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