Valliance co-founder Tarek Nseir on how the firm aims to fix AI’s expectations gap
‘AI-native’ consulting firm Valliance has launched with the aim of helping clients make the most of the new technology, charging fees based on results rather than the industry’s standard billable hours model. Tarek Nseir, The firm’s co-founder and senior value partner, further explores the trends which led to Valliance’s creation, as well as its long-term ambitions.
What prompted you to help launch Valliance?
Valliance is a new, AI-native consultancy created to help businesses unlock real value from artificial intelligence. We launched because the traditional consultancy model is broken, it is failing to deliver measurable outcomes for businesses despite billions being spent on AI. UK businesses are investing over £320 billion annually in AI, with £66 billion going to external consultants; yet, half of these projects fall short of expectations. Valliance exists to fix this, by focusing on the value delivered, not billable hours, and by providing impartial, outcome-driven advice.
Who makes up the founding team behind Valliance, and what’s your expertise?
Our founding team brings together a group of seasoned entrepreneurs and technical leaders with deep expertise in consulting, data and digital transformation. Anita Rajdev is a highly experienced commercial leader who has built trusted partnerships with major enterprises at EPAM Systems and Gemalto, and Rad Parvin founded Just-BI and led global data strategies for brands like Nike, Shell, Heineken and Vodafone. I started my career by founding TH_NK straight out of university, where I had the privilege of advising some of the UK’s biggest brands – from ASOS, Allianz and Aston Martin, to creating Pottermore alongside JK Rowling.
We’re supported by an exceptional team of specialists in system architecture, data and product design, including Dom Selvon, one of the pioneers of composable architecture and a long-standing member of the MACH Alliance board. Together, we combine technical depth with practical insight to help businesses reduce time-to-value and make AI work in the real world.
Why do you believe so many AI projects struggle to deliver value, even with significant investment?
Our research shows that many AI projects fail because they start without clear success metrics, making it almost impossible to measure real impact. In fact, fewer than half of projects define outcomes upfront. Another major issue is an over-focus on technology rather than business objectives. Around 30% of failures happen because organisations prioritise the tech itself instead of the value it should deliver. Finally, time-to-value remains a challenge, with a third of projects taking more than six months to show any meaningful results. The reality is that businesses are often gambling with billions without a proper understanding of what success looks like, and that leads to wasted spend and missed opportunities.
How does Valliance’s model differ from traditional approaches, and what benefits does it offer firms?
Traditional consultancies rely on billable hours and large teams, which often drives cost without guaranteeing results. Valliance takes a completely different approach. We operate on a value-based model where clients pay for outcomes, not time. Our advice is independent, we don’t sell licences or push impractical solutions, and we work in true partnership with our clients, investing our time alongside theirs to deliver real value. Our model ensures impartiality, accelerates time-to-value, and eliminates waste, by helping businesses achieve tangible results from their AI investments.
What are Valliance’s ambitions?
“With $15 million in funding and three global brands already on board, Valliance is focused on scaling both organically and through strategic acquisitions. More importantly, we aim to redefine what consultancy looks like for the AI era by proving that value-driven models will outperform traditional approaches. Our ambition is clear: to create more value from data and AI than any other consultancy in the world. By 2030, we aspire to have delivered £5 billion of measurable value for European enterprises. Ultimately, our goal is to help organisations cut through the hype and noise to implement solutions that truly work for them.
