Proprietary tooling should be built only around processes and workflows that embed the firm's unique competitive edge; generic research processes like tone analysis, transcription review, and earnings note synthesis are not proprietary and should be bought or partnered rather than built internally, freeing engineering resources for true differentiation.

Arcify, a company emerging from Coast Lab, is building tools focused exclusively on Excel automation and updating, representing significant white space in the AI-for-finance market where specialized point solutions can deliver deep value on a single use case rather than broad platforms.

The LLM evaluation field is rapidly evolving with new metrics emerging (Elo-based preference systems for comparing model outputs, measuring breadth of data used in answers, accuracy metrics) beyond simple binary correctness, enabling more nuanced assessment of AI quality as tools mature.

Building a company requires focus on people management, organizational scaling, and business execution rather than pure technical problem-solving; this differs from finance work where one can focus on a narrower technical domain (industry analysis, company coverage) without managing organizational complexity.