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Kevin Denman

Overview​

Kevin Denman is the founder and CEO of AgentGraph (agentgraph.xyz), a marketplace platform connecting businesses seeking custom AI agent development with vetted AI engineers and consultants. Started the company in May 2025 and is currently in closed beta while raising a pre-seed round ($1-2M target). Met Tim Joo at Austin Tech Week in October 2025, where he expressed interest in defining and hiring Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs). Had detailed discussion with Gary on November 19, 2025 about potential collaboration opportunities and the future of AI agent consulting.

Background & Professional Details​

  • Founder & CEO at AgentGraph (agentgraph.xyz) - solo founder currently
  • Previously worked at Deloitte as strategy and analytics consultant (first job out of college)
  • Worked at The Graph with Jennifer Lee (San Diego events)
  • Contributor to Morpheus project, worked closely with David (David Johnston)
  • Former Head of Strategic Growth at Strangelove Ventures (cryptocurrency venture firm)
  • Has 4-year-old child, considering Catholic school options
  • Grew up non-denominational Christian, father was Catholic
  • Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering from West Virginia University
  • Currently designing, building, and shipping the AgentGraph product himself while fundraising

Professional Focus​

  • AI agent integration for enterprise clients
  • Building marketplace/consultancy for agentic workflows
  • Defining new role categories in AI implementation (FDE)
  • Managing client expectations and requirements gathering
  • Scaling AI consulting services

Business Model & Opportunity​

Marketplace Structure​

  • Platform fee model: AI engineers set their rates ($150-1000/hour range)
  • AgentGraph adds platform fee on top, charged to buyer
  • Engineers receive 100% of their quoted rate
  • Currently handling contracting layer, payments, and mediation
  • Stripe and DocuSign API integrations in development

Revenue Targets & Status​

  • Targeting $200K gross billed value by end of 2025
  • Pipeline value: ~$500K (conversion rate TBD)
  • 2026 target: $1-5M gross billed value
  • Currently in closed beta with limited deal flow
  • Product shipping features daily, fully automated launch planned post-funding

Key Features​

  • Structured project scoping workflow (schema-based requirements)
  • Built-in eval framework for agent development
  • Automated time tracking and weekly billing
  • Platform participation agreements for dispute resolution
  • Certification/vetting process for AI engineers (in development)

Connection Details​

  • Met Tim Joo at Austin Tech Week (October 24-25, 2025)
  • Noticed Tim's "FDE" badge and initiated conversation about the role
  • Sent LinkedIn message with calendar link to Tim within minutes of conversation
  • Expressed urgent need for talent: "I need people like you"
  • Open to helping define the FDE role through consultation

Strategic Value​

  • Gateway into high-value AI agent consulting market
  • Opportunity to define new professional category (FDE role)
  • Access to growing network of businesses seeking AI integration
  • Potential for both consulting income and role development influence
  • Connection to Rostam's successful model
  • Positioned in "blue ocean" market with limited direct competition
  • Timing advantage as CTOs struggle to find qualified AI talent
  • Educational content marketing opportunity

Notable Context​

Company Philosophy​

  • Focus on custom agents vs. general "vibe coding"
  • Believes agents require iteration, can't be "one-shot" to production
  • Emphasis on AI-native marketplace features (multi-turn scoping assistant, AI proposal analysis)
  • Strong focus on eval-driven development for production agents

Testing Tools​

  • Currently testing multiple AI notetakers (Granola, Gong, Otter)
  • Impressed with Granola (used by Cursor team)
  • Values AI-native product design vs. bolt-on AI features

Personal Insights​

  • Values trust and transparency highly
  • Understands organizational transformation challenges from Deloitte experience
  • Sees parallels with TopTal model ($500M revenue from similar approach)
  • Aware of human element in consulting (job loss fears, internal resistance)

Potential Collaboration Areas​

Immediate Opportunities​

  • Join closed beta as AI engineer (low commitment)
  • Bring own projects to platform
  • Provide feedback on platform features
  • Potential part-time flexible engagement

Post-Funding Opportunities (Q1 2026)​

  • Forward Deployed Engineer role (travel to client sites)
  • Help define FDE role and processes
  • Content creation and educational marketing
  • Requirements gathering and client interaction
  • Quality control and buyer satisfaction

Strategic Contributions​

  • Help develop organizational transformation playbook
  • Create content on practical AI implementation
  • Bridge technical and human elements of consulting
  • Support vetting/certification process development

Key Relationships​

Advisors & Collaborators​

  • Brad: Advisor, former Senior Director at AWS, has AgentGraph profile
  • Unnamed Google Advisor: Former Applied AI Research team, building FDE agency
  • Rostam: From Gauntlet AI, successful AI agent developer
  • Jennifer Lee: Friend in San Diego, 5 years in Web3 events
  • David Johnston: From Morpheus project, key mentor figure
  • Cursor team contact: Met recently, shared Granola recommendation

Competitive Landscape Understanding​

  • Turing: Recently raised significant capital, high valuation, similar space
  • TopTal: Historical comparable, raised $1.5M from a16z (2010), grew to $500M revenue
  • Upwork: Traditional incumbent, won't ship features as fast
  • Sees market as "blue ocean" despite some competition

Recent Developments​

  • November 2025: Actively fundraising pre-seed round
  • Working on affiliate program with Google advisor's FDE agency
  • Shipping daily features (DocuSign, Stripe, calendar integrations)
  • Building pipeline for Q1 2026 launch
  • Testing multiple AI notetaker tools for workflow integration
  • Considering ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) refinement strategy

Key Quotes​

Via Tim (October 2025)​

  • "Are you interested in becoming like an FTE for me on the side?"
  • "Every client that an FTE interacts with... that's like 10 or 20K to them"
  • "I need people like you"
  • "I'm trying to define it right now... I need someone to be that first FTE"

Direct Conversation (November 2025)​

  • "With AI workflows and follow ups... the ROI has changed" (on notetakers)
  • "99% of business owners are not gonna figure it out on their own"
  • "When it comes to building custom agents... I don't think you can one shot"
  • "AI is such a paradigm shift... the CTO within the organization [is saying] 'I'm not finding anyone'"
  • "Software engineering will continue to be one of the most important roles... but it's shifting"
  • "The buyer is saying, where do I find these people? And the engineer is saying, how do I become this?"

Interactions​

2025-10-24/25: Initial Contact via Tim Joo​

  • Met Tim at Austin Tech Week
  • Expressed urgent need for FDE talent
  • Sent immediate LinkedIn follow-up with calendar link
  • Key quotes:
    • "Are you interested in becoming like an FTE for me on the side?"
    • "Every client that an FTE interacts with... that's like 10 or 20K to them"
    • "I need people like you"

2025-11-19: Deep Dive Meeting with Gary​

  • 45+ minute video call discussing business model and collaboration
  • Demonstrated platform with live demo
  • Discussed Gary's background and potential fit
  • Shared phone number for Signal communication
  • Key discussion points:
    • Platform development status and features
    • Fundraising plans and timeline
    • Gary's potential role as AI engineer or FDE
    • Organizational transformation challenges
    • Content marketing opportunities
    • Human elements of AI consulting

Transcripts​

transcript-iddateone-line-summary
2025-11-19-gary-kevin-denman-agentgraph-meeting2025-11-19AgentGraph partnership discussion, marketplace vision, and Forward Deployed Engineer collaboration