Why We Built Fast Ventures on Augmented Creative Intelligence

AI in marketing strategy: from agency layers to culture-speed

I have spent more than 20 years in marketing. I started in the big agencies, where I learned a great deal but also saw how slow and cumbersome those structures had become. Layers of process often outweighed outcomes, and creativity could be lost in the noise of politics and approvals.

Later, I had the privilege of working at TikTok. That experience showed me a different pace altogether. TikTok was fast, global, and deeply connected to culture. It was proof of how technology and creativity, when aligned, could drive impact at extraordinary scale.

Those two experiences shaped my decision to build Fast Ventures. I wanted to take the speed and clarity I had seen at TikTok, combine it with the strategic depth I had gained in agency life, and build something new. Something leaner and something built for today.

Opinion: Treat AI as an accelerant to brand strategy, not a substitute for it. Strategy anchors; models scale

AI-enabled venture building: designed in, not retrofitted

Crucially, Fast Ventures was born just as AI began to evolve into a serious business tool. Where many saw hype or risk, we saw opportunity. From day one, we chose to build as an AI-enabled business. Not retrofitted later, but designed in.

This is where our differentiator sits

ACI as our working philosophy

At Fast Ventures, we do not talk about “generative AI.” We call what we do Augmented Creative Intelligence (ACI).

ACI is our philosophy. It starts and ends with people. Our team’s ideas are the foundation. AI comes in to sharpen and refine those ideas, but it does not replace them. Once AI has done its part, we go back in. We critique, edit, and shape the output so it reflects our intent. Only then does AI help us accelerate the process, taking work that is already human at its core and moving it forward at speed.

The intelligence is human. The augmentation comes from technology.

That distinction matters. If you treat AI as the author, you risk average work. If you treat it as the editor, you get speed and clarity without losing originality. ACI is how we make sure our output reflects our people, not just a machine.

This is visible in how we work. On the back end, AI helps us automate processes and scale efficiently. On the front end, ACI lets us deliver creative at pace without losing depth. One example is the AI-driven video we produced for Petromin. By combining strategic insight from our team with AI tools, we brought a bold vision to life faster and more cost-effectively than traditional methods would have allowed. The result was not just speed, but a new standard of creative delivery.

In three years, this approach has helped us scale into a business that delivers with pace and precision, while keeping creativity anchored in human experience.

Creative intelligence startups MENA: who leads the next wave

For me, the lesson is simple. AI is not a threat to creativity. It is a multiplier of it. The winners will not be those who resist it or adopt it superficially. The winners will be those who integrate it fully into how they think, create, and deliver.

That is what Fast Ventures has done. ACI is not a side project. It is our DNA. And it is why I believe that in the next wave of marketing and entrepreneurship, augmented creative intelligence will define the businesses that lead.

FAQ's

Q1. What is augmented creative intelligence in simple terms?‍

Human intent leads. AI amplifies pace and precision. Think editor, not author.

Q2. How does AI in marketing strategy change the day-to-day?‍

Briefs get sharper. Version cycles compress. Insight loops tighten. Human judgment stays final.

Q3. What’s different about AI-enabled venture building versus adding tools later?‍

Capabilities, data, and governance are designed in from day one. Speed and quality scale together.

Q4. How do you keep human + AI creativity original, not generic?‍

Set clear creative territories. Use AI to expand and compress. Red-line the output before release.

Q5. Where do creative intelligence startups in MENA have an edge?‍

Proximity to growth markets, bilingual audiences, and supportive ecosystems. Faster testing, better cultural fit.

Q6. How do you prove ACI is working?‍

Time-to-first-cut drops. Revisions to approval fall. Cost per asset shrinks. Engagement and conversion rise.

Q7. What risks matter most—and how do you manage them?‍

Data privacy, IP provenance, bias, over-automation. Keep human sign-off on strategy and the final cut.

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