Michael Pavlovskyi speaking at Northwestern University's The Garage

I find industries drowning in manual work. Then I build the AI that fixes it.

Michael Pavlovskyi · Founder, Bace Agency · Lake Forest, IL

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I was born in Ukraine. I started building businesses as a teenager, before I was old enough to know how hard it was supposed to be.

E-commerce first. Then digital services. Then a software agency that built websites, CRMs, and custom tools for clients across Berlin, Warsaw, and Barcelona. I learned how real businesses run, where they quietly leak time and money, and why most technology projects fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the code. Business was always my strength. Coding was not.

Then 2022 came, and the war changed everything. I packed a laptop and moved to the United States with years of operating experience and very little else. I said the hard goodbyes. I left behind the network, the clients, and the reputation I had spent years building. I bet on a country I had only seen on screens. Terrifying. Also the best decision I have ever made.

Starting over is its own kind of education. I landed in New York City with no warm introductions and no shortcuts, and I rebuilt the way I always have. One conversation. One problem solved. One client at a time. If you have ever bet your livelihood on your own judgment, you know the feeling. It is the same instinct that built your firm.

A year later, I moved to Chicago and started working with a family office, its private equity arm, and a handful of other local businesses. That is where I watched the work change. Hours that used to vanish into spreadsheets and inboxes started taking minutes. Tasks that tied up an entire team came down to a quick review. That was the moment AI stopped being a headline for me and became something I could hand to a client and watch them use. I knew I wanted to bring it to every firm on the North Shore.

So I went deeper on the technical side than I ever had. I learned how these systems actually work, not just what they promise. I have built and worked on AI and machine learning systems, including fraud detection in healthcare, where a wrong answer carries real consequences. I am still an operator first. But I am no longer a founder who points at the technology and hopes. I know what it can do, what it cannot, and where it is worth your money.

That is why Bace Agency exists. I started it to do for North Shore firms what that first project did for me: take the manual work that buries good people and hand it back as time. We build the automations you need, train your team to use AI well, and when privacy demands it, we run the models on your own machines so your data never leaves the building. Today that is 97+ projects, and 95% of clients come back for more. The reason I am the right person for your firm is simpler than any number. I have been the operator drowning in manual work. I know what it costs, and I know how to fix it.

Three steps. No bloat.

01

Discovery

We sit down in person, on the North Shore, and I learn how your business actually runs. Your tools, your team, where you're losing time and money. Not a pitch meeting. An honest conversation about what AI can and can't do for your specific firm.

02

Build (or Plan)

For automation clients: I design and build your custom AI workflows, test them against your real operations, and plug them into your existing tools. Most implementations go live in 2 to 4 weeks. For consulting clients: I deliver a detailed AI roadmap with clear priorities, timelines, and expected ROI.

03

Handoff & Support

Everything I build is yours. I train your team, hand over the keys, and stay available for ongoing optimization. Your data stays yours. Your systems stay under your control. I stay your partner, not a vendor you're locked into.

97+ Projects Delivered
11 Team Members
95% Client Retention
8 North Shore Cities
AI workflow automation illustration

The path here.

Started Bace Agency

Started Bace Agency

Lake Forest, IL. First clients: local firms buried in manual work that nobody else wanted to touch.

Spoke at Northwestern

Spoke at Northwestern

Microsoft- and Google-sponsored events on AI automation for professional services firms. Real case studies, not theory.

a16z LA Tech Week

a16z LA Tech Week

Attended. A week with founders and investors building on AI. I came back certain the North Shore was the market everyone else was ignoring.

Techstars LA

Techstars LA

Attended the accelerator. Watched how the best startups ship fast, then brought that pace to client work.

Spoke at Lake Forest College

Spoke at Lake Forest College

AI and entrepreneurship. Talking to the next generation about building real things in real industries.

97+ Projects Delivered

97+ Projects Delivered

Insurance agencies, law firms, financial advisors, healthcare practices. 95% come back for more.

Where I've been.

Tech ecosystem networking event
Behavioral Health Tech Conference
Networking at a16z LA Tech Week
Behavioral Health Tech networking
Snapchat panel during LA Tech Week
Techstars Los Angeles sign
Chicago North Shore lakefront illustration

I serve the North Shore.

When I say I understand your business, it's because I've sat across the table from people exactly like you, at a coffee shop in Lake Forest, not on a Zoom from San Francisco.

RedNote Podcast

RedNote Podcast

Conversations with founders who are actually building.

I host the RedNote Podcast: real conversations with founders and operators. No fluff. No scripts. Just an honest look at what building a company actually takes.

Watch on YouTube

Credentials

97+ projects delivered, 95% client retention

11-person team, founded 2022

Speaker: Northwestern (Microsoft-sponsored), Northwestern (Google-sponsored), Lake Forest College

Attended: a16z LA Tech Week, Techstars, NHCAA, Behavioral Health Tech Conference

Host: RedNote Podcast

Serving Lake Forest, Highland Park, Evanston, and across the North Shore

Let's figure out where AI fits in your firm.

Book a free AI audit. I'll walk through your operations, identify what's worth automating, and give you a practical plan — whether you work with me or not.

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30 minutes. In-person or video. No obligation.