AI, Copilot & Microsoft Partnerships: What Founders Need to Know Before Building | Ep 251 | DevReady Podcast

In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Anthony Sapountzis is joined by Lee-ann Dias, Director & Founder of Sasbri Consulting. With a career spanning global roles in business and technology consulting, Lee-ann has built a reputation for helping organisations go to market faster and smarter through strategic process improvement and technological enablement. Formerly with Microsoft and a trusted advisor to Microsoft Partners across ANZ, she brings unique insight into how organisations can navigate complexity, maximise the value of AI tools like Copilot, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Her work bridges technical know-how and business strategy, grounded in curiosity, analytical rigour, and an unrelenting drive to deliver value.

The conversation opens with Lee-ann talking about her unconventional entry into tech consulting, transitioning from business development to workshop facilitation where she discovered her passion for problem-solving and stakeholder engagement. She now collaborates with Microsoft Partners and tech studios to ensure solutions are aligned with actual business needs, not just perceived ones. Lee-ann and Anthony delve into why so many projects fail due to poor upfront planning, unclear requirements, and the tendency to build prematurely. They stress the value of discovery workshops, foresight in system design, and embedding security at the outset, practices that save time, reduce risk, and ensure a stronger foundation for scale.

The discussion then shifts to the growing number of non-technical founders entering the product space, often relying on low-code platforms and AI tools to launch MVPs. While such tools can accelerate development, Lee-ann explains that they’re no substitute for structured planning, proper architecture, and real developer oversight. Using accessible analogies like house-building, she and Anthony demystify the layers of application development and reinforce the need to educate clients on timelines, cost structures, and technical constraints. The consensus: low-code may get you started, but it takes expert guidance to build scalable, secure, and commercially viable software.

AI’s role in software creation also comes under the spotlight, with both guests cautioning against over-reliance. Lee-ann emphasises that while AI can write code, it doesn’t guarantee the right code, nor does it replace the critical thinking, debugging, and reverse engineering skills of experienced professionals. Anthony adds that although AI can increase output, it rarely decreases costs, as testing and validation remain essential. Their shared view is clear: AI is a powerful enabler, but human expertise is still the cornerstone of quality software delivery.

Lee-ann also offers insights into the challenges Microsoft Partners face when navigating Microsoft’s vast ecosystem. Drawing from her time on both the partner and vendor sides, she developed a Partner Maturity Assessment to help organisations better align with Microsoft’s go-to-market strategies. From guiding System Integrators and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) on cloud migration and AI readiness to assisting partners with Dynamics and Power Platform implementations, Lee-ann plays a pivotal role in helping businesses optimise their partnership with Microsoft. She also champions the creation of internal Centres of Excellence, communities of tech advocates who can champion tools like Copilot, drive adoption, and unlock the true value of time-saving innovations.

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