Henrik Werdelin, founder of the startup studio Prehype, is launching a new AI-powered venture called Audos in New York. Audos aims to scale entrepreneurship by enabling “everyday entrepreneurs” to create AI-driven businesses without technical expertise.
This initiative comes amid widespread layoffs and growing interest in AI tools that simplify building digital products. Audos combines AI assistance with social media marketing to help founders identify customer niches and launch businesses quickly.
Since its beta launch, Audos has helped start hundreds of companies. These include a car mechanic offering repair quote advice, a provider of “after death logistics” services, virtual golf coaches, and AI nutritionists. Werdelin refers to these small teams as “donkeycorns” to distinguish them from billion-dollar “unicorn” startups.
Audos operates differently from traditional accelerators by taking a 15% share of its clients’ revenue instead of equity. Founders receive up to $25,000 funding plus AI-powered tools and support with distribution, primarily through paid social media campaigns.
Werdelin emphasizes that Audos targets small businesses rather than high-growth startups destined for acquisition. The revenue share continues indefinitely, akin to platform fees, which may be a worthwhile trade-off for some entrepreneurs.
Questions remain about how much AI can automate customer engagement and how Audos will differentiate in a crowded and rapidly evolving AI tools market. However, investors remain optimistic. True Ventures led an $11.5 million seed round, highlighting confidence in the founders and the potential market of millions aiming to build sustainable businesses.
Werdelin envisions helping millions of entrepreneurs build million-dollar companies, creating a trillion-dollar ecosystem. He believes expanding entrepreneurship beyond traditional venture-backed startups is vital as job security declines.
Other investors include Offline Venture, Bungalow Capital, and angel investors Niklas Zennstrom and Mario Schlosser. Audos currently employs five people and is focused on empowering non-technical founders to build viable companies using AI and social media.