Build the market
Built Preteckt’s transit vertical from $0 to a signed portfolio worth ~$5M annually at full deployment over three years. Initial post-redesign pilot-to-procurement progression improved from roughly one in ten to one in two.
Founder-operator · Former COO · General management
Turning applied AI into adopted workflows and measurable value.
I’m Sasha Kucharczyk, a founder-operator and former COO. Over a decade, I helped guide Preteckt through major product and market transitions. I led the build-out of its transit vertical from $0 to a signed contract portfolio representing approximately $5M in annual value at full deployment over three years, scaled the company to 34 people, and helped carry it through its 2025 acquisition by Diesel Laptops.
Where I create value
I build markets, products, and operating systems where technically strong AI still needs adoption, commercial discipline, and measurable customer value.
Design for adoption
Redesigned natural-language AI outputs around frontline maintenance workflows, increasing the measured gain in work completed per labour hour from approximately 4% to 56%.
Build the operating system
Owned core operating functions, remained hands-on in FP&A and operating analysis, and led a cross-functional organization of up to 14, including two people leaders.
Selected operator work
The common thread is practical: find the customer decision that matters, redesign the system around it, and measure whether behaviour and economics actually change.
Commercialization & GTM
Finding the market—and designing for conversion
Led Preteckt’s crisis-period shift into public transit, defining the ICP, market entry, value narrative, pilot structure, pricing, and roadmap.
$0 → ~$5M
Built a signed transit-contract portfolio representing approximately $5M in annual value at full deployment over three years; approximately $2.5M had been realized as ARR before the 2025 acquisition.
Read the case study (PDF) ↗
~1 in 10 → ~1 in 2
Initial post-redesign results showed pilot-to-procurement progression improving after I reset fleet-size thresholds and pilot duration around the evidence buyers needed.
Read the case study (PDF) ↗
>130% NRR
The transit portfolio I managed maintained annual NRR above 130% for three consecutive years. During that period, expansion within existing accounts was the company’s primary growth engine.
Origination & closing
Across signed customer contracts and R&D awards, including agreed full-deployment values, I originated more than $10M in deal value, led pricing and negotiations on nearly all, and was actively involved in closing every agreement.
Product, services & adoption
Turning AI outputs into workflows people use
Redesigned product outputs around technician decisions and the surrounding service model—optimizing for action, trust, and realized customer value rather than model output alone.
~4% → ~56%
For a recurring frontline-maintenance use case, redesigning natural-language output around how teams interpreted and acted on recommendations increased the measured gain in maintenance work completed per labour hour from approximately 4% to 56%.
Read the case study (PDF) ↗
1,000+ vehicles · approximately 10 fleets · multi-year cohort
35% fewer
Average reduction in labour hours.
20% lower
Average reduction in parts costs.
50% fewer
Average reduction in repeat maintenance events.
Operating systems & scale
Building the company behind the product
Co-led company strategy with my co-founder; owned finance, operations, business intelligence, people operations, and customer success; and later led product. I partnered with the engineering director on delivery while they retained day-to-day technical authority. I remained hands-on in FP&A and operating analysis, while major P&L and resource-allocation decisions were made jointly.
~40% lower
Total unit COGS per monitored vehicle-month after I led a review of data collection, storage, and telematics costs. Engineering implemented the changes while preserving the Repair Plans customers needed.
Read the case study (PDF) ↗
~$3M/year
An earlier OEM and defence services line generated approximately $3M in annual revenue for roughly three years while the company evolved toward a scalable software model.
~$3M grants
Personally led non-dilutive grant funding across the company’s product and market transitions.
~$7.5M equity
Co-led equity financing across the company’s product and market transitions.
About
Founder instincts. Operator discipline.
Over more than a decade, I co-founded and helped scale Preteckt from an idea into enterprise AI SaaS serving transit agencies and fleets across North America. My work spanned corporate strategy, product, people leadership, services delivery, customer success, fundraising, finance and acquisition execution.
I’m most useful when the problem crosses functional boundaries: the technology works, but the value proposition, workflow, GTM motion or operating model still needs to come together. I bring the customer and financial lenses into the same room as the product and execution decisions.
External validation
Published third-party evidence that validates the market, customer outcomes, and strategic value behind the work.
Mass Transit · 2022 40 Under 40
Read the profile
Building the transit market
Profiled for identifying the transit opportunity, helping develop the relationships behind Preteckt’s two largest customers, and supporting product use across more than 30 agencies.
Published customer evidence
Read the customer coverage
Saskatoon Transit
A four-month controlled pilot reported more than 50% fewer labour hours in the test group.
Strategic validation
Read the announcement
Acquired by Diesel Laptops
The buyer identified Preteckt’s remote-monitoring and predictive-AI capabilities as the strategic rationale for the acquisition. I supported buyer diligence and integration planning and served as shareholder representative following the transaction.
Let’s talk
Looking for an operator who can connect strategy, product, customers and execution?
I’m based in Toronto and focused on senior operating roles across general management, strategy, operations and AI commercialization. I occasionally consider advisory engagements where the mandate is a strong fit.