For the past 15 years, Henrik Werdelin has been instrumental in helping entrepreneurs establish prominent brands, such as Barkbox, through his startup studio, Prehype. His new venture, Audos, based in New York, aims to leverage AI to expand the reach of his startup studio from supporting “tens” of startups annually to empowering “hundreds of thousands” of aspiring entrepreneurs.
The timing of Audos’s launch seems apt, given the current landscape of mass layoffs across various industries, prompting many to reevaluate their career paths. Meanwhile, AI tools have significantly reduced the barriers to creating digital products and services. At the intersection of these trends lies Audos, with its mission to enable “everyday entrepreneurs” to create million-dollar AI companies without requiring technical expertise.
Werdelin’s transition from Prehype to Audos reflects the broader shift underway in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Previously, Prehype focused on collaborating with tech founders to build traditional startups, often with the goal of securing millions in funding and achieving billion-dollar exits.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Werdelin explained, “Our objective now is to utilize the knowledge and methodologies we’ve developed over the years to democratize access to startup success.” Audos is designed to support “everyday entrepreneurs” who may sense the potential for innovation but lack the expertise to experiment with AI agents or effectively reach their target customers.
Audos provides these individuals with AI tools to develop sophisticated products using natural language and leverages social media algorithms to connect them with their niche customers. As Werdelin noted, “Platforms like Facebook boast incredible algorithms capable of identifying and reaching customer groups, provided you define the target audience.” Audos utilizes this system to rapidly test the viability of a founder’s business idea, assessing whether the customer acquisition costs are sustainable.
The approach adopted by Audos appears to be yielding positive results. Since its beta launch, the platform has facilitated the launch of “low hundreds” of businesses, with customers discovering Audos through Instagram ads that pose questions like “Have you ever considered starting a business but didn’t know where to begin?” Among the diverse range of entrepreneurs supported by Audos are a car mechanic aiming to help people evaluate repair quotes, an individual offering “after-death logistics” services, virtual golf swing coaches, and AI-powered nutritionists. Werdelin affectionately refers to these one- and two-person teams as “donkeycorns,” a nod to the term “unicorn” often used to describe billion-dollar businesses.
All the entrepreneurs who have launched businesses through Audos underwent a similar process: they clicked on the platform’s ad, engaged in a conversation with its AI agent to define the problems they aimed to solve and the audience they wished to serve, and, upon satisfactory answers, were quickly introduced to potential customers. This streamlined approach is designed to help founders validate their ideas and reach their target market efficiently.
Audos operates under a distinct model that diverges from traditional accelerators or venture capital firms. Instead of acquiring equity, the company takes a 15% revenue share from the businesses it supports. In exchange, founders receive up to $25,000 in funding, access to AI-powered business development tools, and assistance with distribution, primarily through paid social media advertising.
Werdelin emphasized, “We’re not taking any equity in their businesses,” partly because “we don’t anticipate these companies will be sold.” He added, “What inspires us are the mom-and-pop shops that form the backbone of our society.” This approach underscores Audos’s focus on empowering small, sustainable businesses rather than chasing unicorn startups.
The revenue share model adopted by Audos continues indefinitely, similar to the platform fees charged by Apple’s App Store. For founders, this means relinquishing a significant portion of their revenue in perpetuity—a 15% cut that could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. While some may view this trade-off as worthwhile, others might question whether the long-term costs outweigh the benefits provided by Audos.
Audos’s value proposition raises additional questions, given the rapid evolution of the landscape. While Werdelin stresses the importance of helping founders build relationships with customers, it remains unclear how much of this work the AI agents can actually handle. There’s also the issue of differentiation, as Werdelin acknowledges, “The world is full of these tools,” and they’re improving rapidly. The question arises as to what happens when entrepreneurs can access similar AI capabilities without incurring a permanent revenue tax.
The venture capitalists backing Audos do not seem concerned about these potential scenarios. True Ventures led Audos’s $11.5 million seed round, with partner Tony Conrad expressing his confidence in Werdelin and Thorne during a Zoom call. Conrad noted, “I believe there are countless people who would eagerly embrace the opportunity to work with a platform like Audos.” He drew parallels with Instagram’s $1 billion exit, achieved with just 13 employees, suggesting that AI could enable even more leverage, even if Audos, with its current team of five, isn’t focused on creating unicorns.
As Werdelin explained, “Our goal here is to empower the millions of people who can create million-dollar businesses or half-million dollar businesses that are real and life-changing
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