About Cogitant Partners

AI Strategy for the
Organizations That Build America.

Mid-market companies — the firms between $10M and $500M — are the engine of the U.S. economy. They're also the organizations most at risk of being left behind in the AI transition. Cogitant Partners exists to change that.

AI-Strategy First.
Always.

Cogitant Partners was founded on a single conviction: the AI transition is the most consequential business event of the next decade, and most mid-market organizations are navigating it without a map.

The market is flooded with tools, vendors, and consultants selling deployment. What's missing is the strategic layer — an honest, rigorous assessment of where an organization actually stands, what the real risks are, and what to do in what order.

That's what we built. The Cogitant AI Exposure Index™ is not a product we sell. It's the diagnostic foundation for every engagement we take on — because you can't lead a transition you haven't measured.

$10M–$500M
The mid-market segment we serve — organizations large enough to be materially exposed to AI disruption, small enough to lack dedicated AI strategy resources
7 C's
Dimensions of AI readiness in David Dickinson's proprietary framework — the analytical foundation of every Cogitant engagement
18–24 mo.
Estimated remaining window for proactive AI positioning before category leaders are established in most mid-market verticals

David Dickinson's
7 C's of AI Framework

The Cogitant AI Exposure Index™ is built on a proprietary diagnostic framework developed by David Dickinson over years of working with mid-market organizations navigating technology transitions. The 7 C's are not a checklist — they're a causal model of why AI adoption succeeds or fails at the organizational level.

Most AI failures are not technology failures. They're failures of clarity, culture, or continuity. The 7 C's framework surfaces the real constraints — and sequences the response in the order that produces durable results, not just completed pilots.

01Clarity
02Culture
03Capability
04Content & Data
05Customers
06Compliance
07Continuity

The People
Behind the Work.

SM
Steve Maegdlin
Chief Executive Officer
Steve is a seasoned senior executive with 30+ years of global experience at the CEO, CMO, COO, SVP, and VP levels — in large and small for-profit companies, public companies, startups, and everything in between. He brings broad experience across all aspects of successfully starting, running, growing, and exiting organizations including sales, marketing, finance, business development, and product management.
Steve has founded or co-founded 7 companies and currently serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Cogitant Partners, and Co-Founder and CEO of Cutwater Advisory Partners. He has significant expertise in the technology and AI space, including developing AI strategies and tools for his own companies and helping organizations learn how to leverage AI for growth.
B.S. Business Management & Administration, Bradley University · MBA (Finance), DePaul University
DD
David Dickinson
President
David Dickinson is Co-Founder and President of Cogitant Partners, a Colorado-based consulting firm specializing in AI strategy and implementation for mid-market companies, professional services organizations, and membership-based advisory firms. He works directly with business leaders, executive teams, and boards navigating the AI transition — helping organizations move from AI awareness to AI execution through the 7 C's framework.
His consulting work spans AI readiness assessment, strategic roadmap development, AI governance policy design, and organizational capability building. Prior to founding Cogitant Partners, David held senior leadership roles in management consulting, professional services, and organizational development. He publishes regularly on AI strategy, disruption risk, and the organizational dimensions of the AI transition.
B.S. Computer Information Systems, Arizona State University · M.S., Cornell University · Pepperdine Law School · Certified Mediator

Ready to measure your exposure?

The Cogitant AI Exposure Index™ is a facilitated strategic engagement. Start with a conversation.