Right now, investors are throwing money at anything with “AI” in the pitch deck. SaaS companies. Software startups. Digital-first businesses.
And I get it. We are undoubtedly living through a ‘dot-com’ moment. And from an investing and career perspective I am “long AI”.
And yet it is not obvious how to best ride this wave or where to invest. Plenty of VC investors lost their shirts in the late 90s - and it will happen again.
Every new AI startup runs the risk of being eaten by AI. If software is ‘eating the world’, then AI is brilliant at eating its own software creations. And all you white collar workers who think you are safe from AI, think again. AI will eat white collar jobs quicker than a tap out at a rigged UFC fight.
So what to do?
Well for the next 5 years or so I plan to go long blue collar investments but leverage those businesses with AI. The robots may come eventually (which to be honest will probably be a moment to flee with whatever bitcoin is left in the wallet) - but ChatGPT won’t be painting your walls anytime soon.
This is our investment thesis at Hyde Partners:
At Hyde Partners, we acquire essential, human-driven businesses—where real-world expertise is irreplaceable. By integrating AI and automation, we enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and unlock scalable growth—without replacing the people who make these businesses work.
AI has already disrupted the digital parts of business—marketing, sales, customer service. But the skilled tradespeople? They can be leveraged even further. AI doesn't replace them; it makes them 10x more valuable by handling everything around the actual work.
But most owners of blue-collar businesses aren’t lying awake at night worrying if AI will wipe out their business. They aren’t probably thinking about AI at all - they have probably just got SEO set up on their website.
The model is simple:
Acquire businesses with strong fundamentals - profitable, service-based, human expertise that can't be replaced
Optimize with AI and automation - enhance efficiency, streamline operations, reduce costs, increase sales
Scale without breaking what works - keep the people and expertise, just make them 10x more productive
Why This Works
These businesses are:
✅ Already profitable (no startup risk)
✅ Essential services (recession-resistant)
✅ Run by experts (you can't download HVAC skills from ChatGPT)
✅ Undervalued (because nobody else sees the AI potential)
And here's the kicker: the AI opportunity in traditional businesses is bigger than in tech startups because the baseline is so low. When you introduce AI to a plumber still using paper invoices, the productivity gain is massive.
In October 2025 we made our first acquisition - a commercial landscaping business in Bunbury.
Now the hard work and the fun begins!
And I want to share the hard-work-journey.
Every week, I'll share:
Deals I'm evaluating (with real numbers when I can)
What's working and what's failing at our commercial landscaping business
AI tools and strategies you can use in your own business
Opportunities for investors
This isn't theory. This is real businesses, real money, and real transformation happening right now in Western Australia.