How the Sausage is Made

SPAR Sausage Company is the exclusive maker of Caspers Famous Hot Dogs® and produces the finest selection of natural casing gourmet sausages and frankfurters throughout the country.

Hello,

I’m starting something new—an AI venture called Genversation Lab.

A lot of people enjoy behind-the-scenes stories. The messy middle. The real-time decisions that shape how a product or company comes to life. I’m at a point in my career where I’ve got a fairly solid framework for building and launching technology—but I’m still flexible, still learning. And this time around, I thought it would be useful for me, and maybe interesting for others, to tell the story as it’s happening. Hence the title: How the Sausage is Made.

In a nutshell, Genversation Lab is a small team of product and technology leaders focused on adaptive conversational AI for enterprise SaaS. Our first product is called PulseGen, and our goal is to enable smarter, more consistent engagement across healthcare, education, homeownership, veterinary care, and personal finance. But more on that later...

Let me tell you about a friend of mine named Paul. His family has been in the hot dog and sausage business for generations. If you’re from Northern California, you might know them—Casper’s Hot Dogs. Easily some of the freshest and best-tasting hot dogs in the world. Subjective, I know. But worth trying if you’re ever in the area.

Years ago, when I was living in the Bay Area and still playing jazz gigs, Paul asked if I could put together a small group to play at the grand opening of their new sausage plant. I’d never performed in a sausage factory before—and haven’t since—but I was happy to help out.

So there we were, playing in the middle of the production floor, surrounded by machines, spices, and the unmistakable smell of fresh sausage.

What struck me that day wasn’t just the absurdity of the setting—it was how proud everyone was. The team at Spar Sausages made something they truly believed in. They used highest-quality ingredients. Their process was thoughtful and transparent. And they weren’t shy about any of it. They wanted people to see how the sausage was made (this is where I connect the dots :)

That stuck with me.

If you’re building something honestly, with good ingredients and good intent, you shouldn’t hide the process. You should welcome the feedback. Let people have a taste. It helps you shape a better solution. It makes the work better.

That’s what I’m doing here.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing these posts—short, honest snapshots of what we’re building and learning. The goal is to share the journey, get feedback, and maybe even connect with people who want to get involved.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to drop a comment, send a note, dispatch a raven—I’d love to hear from you.

More soon.

Mark