Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team

Discover how lean data teams can build AI-ready data infrastructure by combining modern ELT tools, open-source flexibility, and scalable architecture.

Michel Tricot

Oct 22, 2025

Updated May 25, 2026

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1 min

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Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team

Here's what most people don’t know: you can have the most powerful AI tools, but if you can’t get them the data they need, they won’t deliver value. And if you're running a startup with a lean engineering team, you can't afford to waste months building data pipelines from scratch.

That's why I'm joining a roundtable at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 on October 27, 1–1:30PM PT (Roundtable 3, AI Track): "Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team."

In this session, we'll cover the stuff that actually matters:

How to build pipelines for structured and unstructured data with limited resources
Managing secrets, permissions, and context so agents can act autonomously (and safely)
Making data quality your competitive advantage

Too many teams confuse "AI infrastructure" with massive tooling stacks and bloated pipelines. You don't need that. You can move fast and build right at the same time.

Getting data movement right from day one isn't optional. It's foundational. That's why I'm excited for this conversation. Not just to share what we've learned, but to hear from the builders in the room who are making AI real inside their products.

If you're a founder, engineer, or product lead trying to ship AI features without burning through your runway, come join us. Let's figure this out together.

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About the Author

Michel Tricot

Michel Tricot is the CEO and Co-Founder of Airbyte.

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Building AI-Ready Data Infrastructure with a Lean Team

Integrate with 700+ apps using Airbyte

Integrate with 700+ apps using Airbyte

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