Coffee N° 5 with Lara Schmoisman

Episode: From Artist to AI Founder – The Power of a Non-Linear Path with Kat Garcia

Air date: January 27, 2026
Guest: Kat Garcia, Founder, Ground AI
Host: Lara Schmoisman

Episode Overview

This episode explores the unique, non-linear career path of Kat Garcia—from her beginnings as a performer in the arts to her emergence as the founder of Ground AI, an AI-powered revenue growth engine for consumer brands. Host Lara Schmoisman and Kat delve into the value of diverse backgrounds in entrepreneurship, the evolution of digital marketing and AI technology, and how founders can leverage both human creativity and AI for business growth in a crowded digital landscape. The conversation is honest and motivating, particularly for anyone who may not follow a conventional career trajectory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Embracing a Non-Linear Path (02:13–06:40)

• Kat’s Background: Started as a television and film actress, as well as an independent recording artist and singer, working internationally and managing her own career.
• Leveraging Digital Early: Kat was an early YouTuber (2006), using keywords and online communities to grow her fanbase beyond traditional media, embracing digital growth strategies before influencer culture took off.
  • Quote: “A lot of it was understanding growth and how do you grow a fan base… almost think of yourself as a product and find different platforms to grow your fan base. I was very early on YouTube, like in 2006, and loved the whole idea of keywords and creating a community online.” – Kat (02:38)
• First Mover Advantage: Importance of being a tech early adopter.
  • Lara: “Being a first adopter, it’s really important.” (03:46)
• Challenges as a Minority: Kat navigated around contractual limitations and lack of industry precedent by thinking outside the box.

2. Lessons from Diverse Experiences (06:47–12:04)

• Business Education: Kat triple-majored in finance, info systems, and marketing to prepare for entrepreneurship, wanting to “speak in systems” without being a coder. (05:53)
• Industry Skepticism: She faced skepticism from traditional companies about her “portfolio” of digital experience, which was ahead of its time.
  • Quote: “I just don’t understand what your YouTube and your portfolio of like digital channels has anything to do with beauty or marketing. And I was like, this is the future of marketing. Like, influencer, creator economy did not exist.” – Kat, recounting HR pushback (08:14)
• Non-Linear Career Value: Both Lara and Kat share stories of industry gatekeepers undervaluing career variety.
  • Lara: “Those people that cannot read a non-linear path... or even motherhood. I’m a better leader because I’m a mother.” (10:54)
• Validation and Self-Trust: Facing rejection can be jarring, but it reinforces the necessity of following unconventional routes as innovators.

3. Founding Ground AI & the Changed Marketing Funnel (12:04–18:54)

• Growth at Scale: At Boston Consulting Group’s venture studio, Kat led growth for multiple startups, learning to take companies from “zero to one” (12:45).
• Market Shifts: The playbook for growth became non-repeatable due to tech shifts (e.g., iOS14, changing ad effectiveness, privacy rules).
  • Quote: “Companies are not going to want to innovate and they’re not going to be able to take those risks because they can’t afford to.” – Kat (13:40)
• The Modern Funnel: Funnels are no longer linear; there are “side parts” and “side funnels,” requiring adaptive strategies.
  • Lara: “The funnel is not straight anymore. We have side funnels.” (11:27)

4. AI, Personalization, and Tech Stack Optimization (15:18–23:45)

• Broken Funnels: Brands struggle with tracking and converting customers across diverse platforms.
  • Kat: “Every single part of the funnel is broken where you don’t have predictability about anything.” (15:08)
• True Personalization Arrives: With current advances, AI (particularly generative and anticipatory AI) can enable true, individualized personalization at scale.
  • Quote: “This is the first time since the start of the Internet that there truly is the capability to personalize for every single person.” – Kat (15:47)
• AI Overuse & “AI-washing”: Widespread “AI-washing” (platforms adding superficial AI features) muddies the waters for brands.
  • Kat: “A lot of solutions that have existed for 10 years are now saying, ‘we’re AI,’ and it’s like, no, they’re not.” (18:28)
  • Lara: “It’s about your tech stack… sometimes you’re using too much… if you are contradicting yourself, you create a very confusing narrative.” (19:04)
• Right Fit & Time for AI: Not all brands are ready for sophisticated AI, especially early-stage companies. Brands must optimize messaging, platforms, and timing.

5. Brand Readiness & Practical AI Application (20:16–25:54)

• Product-Market Fit First: Early brands must focus on emotion, differentiation, and market fit before heavy tech/AI optimization.
• Platform Suitability: Not every platform (e.g., TikTok) is right for every brand—consider price point, margins, and audience before jumping in.
  • Lara: “You shouldn’t be doing [TikTok] because everyone’s doing it; you need to do it because it’s right for your brand.” (22:58)
• Ground AI’s Role: Once brands hit scale ($1–2M in sales), Ground AI’s agents help increase conversion and retention.
  • Quote/Explanation: “We have different AI models... inside your tech stack... to convert customers across the journey. Whether it’s getting more first-time customers... or retention... increase that lifetime value.” – Kat (24:50)
• Beyond ROAS: Retention, not just Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), is key. Collecting first-party data and building loyalty is crucial.
  • Kat: “It’s about retention, how you make your customer loyal to you.” (25:54)

6. Data Ownership & Channel Dependence (27:03–29:54)

• Controlling the Narrative: Emphasis on owning customer data via websites, since platforms like TikTok and ChatGPT own the user data.
  • Lara: “The only thing you really own is your website, which is your heart and the narrative that comes from that.” (27:38)
• Next-Generation Commerce: As smart shopping agents (AI “personal shoppers”) proliferate, site efficiency and consistency become even more vital.
• AI Optimization is Inevitable: “If brands right now don’t optimize their website for AI, they will be too late.” – Lara (31:59–32:22)
  • Quote: “Every technological shift has led for some superstar brands. … It’s these smaller windows that you have... what took e-commerce 10 years we’re seeing in one.” – Kat (32:43)

7. Looking Ahead: 2026 Trends & Gimmicks to Drop (33:58–36:50)

• End of AI Gimmicks: Expect a move away from superficial AI features (“AI-washing”) towards substantive, measurable returns.
  • Lara: “That’s AI-washing, and the consumer is getting smarter.” (34:20)
  • Kat: “We’re not going to be focused on those anymore... we’re going to use AI with actual return on investment that is clear.” (34:46)
• Intentional Investment: Use AI as a means to solve real problems, not a cosmetic trend. Evaluate all spend for clear outcome.
  • Quote: “It’s very important to ask yourself why... am I going to invest in this and how am I going to evaluate success...” – Kat (36:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Innovation:
  “You have to be scrappy and find opportunities… If I can’t change this, there’s other things that I can do.” — Kat (04:24)
• On the Future of Marketing:
  “This is the future of marketing. Like, influencer, creator economy did not exist…” — Kat (08:14)
• On Non-Linear Careers:
  “Nothing that I did is worth it... Those people that cannot read a non-linear path and how it can contribute what you learn in one space to another…” — Lara (10:54)
• On AI-washing:
  “A lot of solutions that have existed for ten years are now saying, ‘we’re AI,’ and it’s like, no, they’re not.” — Kat (18:28)
• On Retention Over ROAS:
  “Right now I think we need to stop talking about ROAS... At the end of the day it’s about retention—how you make your customers loyal to you.” — Lara (25:54)
• On Data Ownership:
  “Your TikTok, you don’t own it. Your Instagram you don’t own it. The only thing that you really own is your website…” — Lara (27:38)
• On the Changing Opportunity Window:
  “Every single technological shift has led for some superstar brands... the windows of opportunity for you to really catapult get smaller.” — Kat (32:59)
• On AI Investment:
  “It’s very important to ask yourself why... If AI is a solution, fantastic. Let me pilot a couple things…” — Kat (36:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Lara’s Early Geek Story & Setting the Stage: 00:05–01:41
• Kat’s Artistic Journey to Digital Growth: 02:13–05:53
• Pushing Boundaries and Facing Skepticism: 07:14–10:54
• Beginnings of Ground AI & the Broken Funnel: 12:04–15:18
• True Personalization with Generative AI: 15:18–17:14
• Tech Stack, Optimization, and Platform Noise: 18:54–20:16
• Product/Market Fit & When to Embrace AI: 20:16–24:50
• Ground AI’s Functions Explained: 24:50–25:54
• Data Ownership & The Future of Commerce: 27:03–30:26
• Urgency of AI Optimization: 31:59–32:22
• 2026 Predictions—End of Gimmicks, Real ROI: 33:58–36:50

Fun Closing Moment

Lara’s “Coffee Question”:
At the end, Lara asks, “How do you drink your coffee, Kat?” (37:29)

• Kat’s Answer: “It’s an iced oat latte—no sugar, but I like it poured very specifically… First, you need to add the milk with a lot of ice, and then just give me one espresso shot that is added at the top. Don’t mix it.” (37:31–38:05)
• Lara adds: In Israel, that’s called kaffe afuk—“upside down coffee.”

Summary

This insightful episode reminds listeners that unconventional paths foster true innovation. Kat’s journey from the arts to AI entrepreneurship proves industry variety and agility are invaluable. Alongside Lara, the discussion demystifies AI’s role in modern marketing, emphasizes the vital skill of strategic tech adoption, and advocates for brand authenticity and retention in the age of AI-driven commerce. The advice is particularly timely for founders weighing new platforms, skeptical of AI hype, and committed to building brands with both longevity and agility.