Henrik Werdelin, co-founder of BarkBox and longtime startup advisor, has launched a new venture named Audos, which recently raised $11.5 million in seed funding led by True Ventures. Other investors include Offline Ventures, Bungalow Capital, and notable angel investors Niklas Zennström and Mario Schlosser, TechCrunch reports.
Based in New York, Audos offers AI tools and startup-building support to everyday people who want to launch small businesses without any technical background. Unlike accelerators or traditional venture models, TechCrunch says that Audos charges a 15% perpetual revenue share instead of taking equity from founders.
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From BarkBox to AI Business Builders: How Audos Plans to Create a Million-Dollar Movement
Werdelin, who previously built startup studio Prehype, told TechCrunch that Audos combines years of startup-building expertise into an accessible platform anyone can use to launch a digital product.
"What we're trying to do is to figure out how you make a million companies that do a million dollars [in annual revenue]," Werdelin said. That goal, if realized, would create what he calls a trillion-dollar turnover business, a term that sets a new benchmark for bottom-up innovation.
The company uses social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to reach potential founders and identify whether their business ideas can generate customers at a sustainable cost. According to TechCrunch, Audos's AI agent interacts with users directly, helping them clarify their offer and go to market quickly using natural language inputs.
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So far, Audos has supported the launch of what Werdelin calls "low hundreds" of businesses in its beta phase, TechCrunch reports. These include ventures like a virtual golf swing coach, an AI nutritionist, a mechanic offering quote evaluations, and even an "after-death logistics" consultant.
Each founder received up to $25,000 in funding, access to Audos's proprietary tools, and support in distributing their offer through paid social ads. According to TechCrunch, Werdelin refers to these micro-businesses as "donkeycorns," signaling modest yet profitable ventures that aim to support personal freedom rather than billion-dollar exits.
A Permanent 15% Cut May Spark Questions About Long-Term Cost for Founders
According to TechCrunch, Audos's model may spark discussion over the long-term cost of a 15% revenue share, which continues indefinitely like Apple's AAPL App Store platform fee. While some entrepreneurs may welcome the no-equity route, others could see the permanent cut as a costly tradeoff over time.
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Werdelin acknowledged that the market is rapidly filling with similar AI tools, saying, "the world is full of these tools" and they are "getting better rapidly," TechCrunch says. Audos distinguishes itself by helping non-technical users go to market quickly using natural language prompts and social media targeting.
True Ventures partner Tony Conrad expressed confidence in Audos, citing its potential to support thousands who want to start small, independent businesses with real revenue potential. "There are just lots and lots of people" who need this opportunity, Conrad told TechCrunch.
Audos currently operates with just five employees but aims to expand its impact exponentially without building a large internal team. Werdelin believes the next wave of entrepreneurship should be built by people previously left out of the ecosystem. "We believe that the world is better with more entrepreneurship," he told TechCrunch, pointing to mom-and-pop shops as his inspiration rather than venture-backed unicorns.
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