Ryan Krook has spent his career at the intersection of data and operations, working inside companies like Uber, Shopify, and McKinsey before founding Pareto Apps. In this episode, we get into what it actually looks like to walk into a mid-market PE portfolio company that has never taken data seriously, and what to do about it. Ryan brings a perspective I don't hear often: he has sat on the LP side, worked as an outside consultant, and now operates hands-on inside the companies fixing the problems that matter most at exit.

What stood out to me most was Ryan's take on starting small. Not small as in unambitious, but small as in disciplined. Get one reliable metric. Build from there. That approach, rooted in the Pareto principle, is how you create real operational leverage without pulling people away from the work that actually drives the business. We also got into the risks that come with vibe-coded apps, AI without data governance, and the version control nightmare that happens when everyone builds their own tool.

Timestamps

[00:02:09] - Ryan's path into data

[00:07:49] - Working inside PE at McKinsey

[00:15:53] - Mid-market companies and data gaps

[00:21:52] - Data governance and why it matters

[00:25:09] - Where to start with data investment

[00:30:51] - Iterative builds and fast delivery

[00:38:00] - Vibe coding risks in enterprise

[00:42:04] - AI capabilities, a 1 to 10 take

Guest Information

Ryan Krook is the founder of Pareto Apps, a firm that builds bespoke data and AI solutions for PE-backed portfolio companies and early-stage startups. He previously held roles at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, McKinsey, Uber, and Shopify. Ryan is based in Canada and focuses on getting companies to a place where their data is reliable enough to actually use.

Companies Mentioned

• Pareto Apps
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
• McKinsey
• Uber
• Shopify
• Bowell
• Snowflake
• Bolt

Websites Mentioned

• paretoaps.co
• LinkedIn

Key Takeaways

• Start with one reliable metric before building anything larger
• Data governance is what makes AI outputs trustworthy
• PE-backed companies move faster because everyone is aligned around the same exit timeline
• Vibe-coded apps carry the same version control risks as unmanaged spreadsheets
• The barrier to standing up solid data infrastructure has dropped significantly in the last few years