Side projects

Beyond client work, a few things I build myself.

Alongside consulting engagements, I run a small set of independent ventures—products shaped by the same data and AI practice, built and operated on my own time.

Independent ventures · Live and in development

Practice applied to my own ideas.

These aren’t client deliverables—they’re products I build and run myself, some already live, some still taking shape, all proof that the same thinking behind my consulting work holds up outside it too.

AI product

Knotbase

Answer more questions. Win more customers.

Live

Website knowledge base as the source of truth
Conversational lead capture
No technical setup required

Knotbase turns the knowledge already on a company’s website into an AI assistant that answers visitors and helps generate leads around the clock. It’s a self-directed build, run outside client engagements, applying the same practical approach to retrieval and deployment I bring to production AI work.

Visit knotbase.io

Knotbase.io homepage showing an AI chat assistant answering a customer question

Local community

Helderberg Remote

Work remotely. Connect locally.

Live

WhatsApp community
Regular local meetups
Somerset West · Strand · Gordon’s Bay · Stellenbosch

A community for remote workers, digital nomads, freelancers and founders around Somerset West, Strand, Gordon’s Bay and Stellenbosch—grown from the same Helderberg base as my South African location. Meetups and a WhatsApp community turn remote work into something less solitary.

Visit helderbergremote.com

Book

From Data Scientist to AI Strategist

From execution to strategic ownership.

Live

Five-exposure diagnostic for production readiness
Governance toolkit: feature registries, audits, fairness
A 90-day plan to start the transition

A practitioner’s guide to the shift AI agents are forcing on data science careers—from producing artifacts to owning the judgment, governance and strategic decisions around them. Written by Dr. Martin Franke, it lays out a concrete path toward production credibility, executive communication and team leadership, closing with a 90-day plan to start the transition now.

Visit amazon.com

Cover of "From Data Scientist to AI Strategist" by Dr. Martin Franke

Smart home AI

Sitari.life

Smart homes. Shared savings.

In development

Water, gas & electricity monitoring
AI-driven usage optimisation
Built for local community estates

An early-stage concept for AI-driven home automation that helps local communities—starting near the Sitari estate by my South African base—monitor and optimise shared resources. The goal is straightforward: less gas, water and electricity wasted, without residents having to think about it.

Launching soon

Water · Gas · Electricity