Why Enterprise AI Deals Stall After the Pilot — and How to Fix It

The distance between enterprise AI promise and real-world adoption is rarely a technology problem, yet many deals quietly die once the pilot phase ends. Databricks' Arsalan Tavakoli joins TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to explain what founders consistently get wrong about the way enterprises actually buy and deploy AI. Instead of framing the gap as an engineering challenge, Tavakoli reframes it around how enterprises evaluate, purchase, and roll out new technology — and where startup assumptions break down against that reality. His perspective draws on Databricks' vantage point working with large organizations navigating AI adoption. The session is aimed at founders and go-to-market teams who have watched promising pilots fail to convert. It offers a candid diagnosis of the post-pilot problem and practical guidance on closing the gap between a successful demo and a deployed enterprise solution.