Imagine building a million-dollar company with nothing but an idea, your voice, and an AI assistant. That’s exactly what Audos, the new startup studio co-founded by Henrik Werdelin and Nicholas Thorne, promises—launching up to 100,000 companies a year by giving everyday people the tools, funding, and structure to start their own business without coding or venture backing.
Werdelin, best known for co-creating BarkBox and leading the startup studio Prehype, now wants to democratize entrepreneurship. “What we’re trying to do is take all that knowledge… and really try to democratize it,” he says. Instead of building a few well-funded unicorns, Audos wants to create a million “donkeycorns”—sustainable businesses that generate real income for real people.
Launched out of New York, Audos operates with a very different mindset. It’s not about chasing VC rounds. Instead, it provides up to $25,000 in funding, AI business-building tools, and access to social media-based distribution in exchange for a 15% revenue share. “We’re not taking any equity in their business,” Werdelin explains.
“We don’t think these companies might ever get sold… We’re inspired by the mom-and-pop shops that are the backbone of our society”
Their AI agents help founders brainstorm ideas, identify customer pain points, test acquisition channels, and even launch ad campaigns. And it’s already happening. Since launching in beta, Audos has quietly launched hundreds of niche startups, from AI nutritionists to post-death logistics services. These entrepreneurs often find Audos through Instagram ads asking: “Have you ever thought about starting something, but don’t know where to go?”
Once inside, users are guided step-by-step by AI to shape their idea and test its viability. Werdelin highlights how platforms like Facebook play into this: “They are just incredible algorithms, and they’re incredible at figuring out [how to reach your customer] if you define a customer group.”
Coining a new term: ‘DonkeyCorn’. It grinds like a mule and parties like a unicorn. It's trying to label the new type of AI start-up that makes more than 2 million dollars in revenue with no more than two staff. pic.twitter.com/Hpx4zD0bkd
— werdelin (@werdelin) February 8, 2024
This isn’t about building the next Uber. Werdelin wants “a million companies that do a million dollars [in annual revenue]. That’s a trillion-dollar turnover business.” True Ventures clearly agrees—they led Audos’ $11.5 million seed round, with other investors like Offline Ventures and Bungalow Capital on board. “There are just lots and lots of people who might eagerly embrace a platform like Audos,” says True partner Tony Conrad, who compares the scalability of Audos to early Instagram—with even more leverage through AI.
Still, the model raises questions. Some entrepreneurs may balk at the idea of giving up 15% of their revenue indefinitely. Others wonder how differentiated Audos’ tools will be once similar AI becomes more available. Even Werdelin admits: “The world is full of these tools.” But Audos isn’t just about the tools—it’s about access, structure, and speed.
In a post-layoff, post-stability world, where traditional jobs feel less secure, Audos is offering a bold new path—one that blends smart technology with the scrappy spirit of small business. “We believe that the world is better with more entrepreneurship,” Werdelin says. And Audos is betting that AI can make that vision real—at scale.
Nicholas Thorne (@thorneny) has been helping founders start their next business at @prehype for the past 15 years
— Max Thilén (@maxthilen) June 8, 2024
Recently he co-founded Audos. An AI co-pilot that'll help you launch a business from your smartphone.
I sat down with him for the Learnings at Scale podcast.
We… pic.twitter.com/Q0UPHKvQOa
