Tokens & Tactics #7: AI as Co-Founder for Non-Technical Builders
Henrik Werdelin's journey from BarkBox to building Audos, and how he's helping people turn ideas into businesses using AI—no coding required.
Welcome back to Tokens & Tactics, our Tuesday series about how people are actually using AI at work.
Each week, we feature one person and their real-world workflow—what tools they use, what they’re building, and what’s working right now. No hype. No vague predictions. Just practical details from the front lines. This week: Henrik Werdelin.
We’re hosting our next BRXND NYC conference on September 18, 2025, and are currently looking for sponsors and speakers. If you’re interested in attending, please add your name to the wait list.
Tell us about yourself.
Hi, I’m Henrik. I’m the co-founder of BARK (yep, the BarkBox and BARK Air folks), the founder of Prehype (a venture studio that’s launched a bunch of startups over the pat 15 years with Fortune 500s and solo operators alike), and now the co-founder of Audos—an AI co-founder for people with ideas and the guts to try them. Most of what I do is about helping people get from "it sucks that..." to their first sale. I have a book coming this summer called Me, My Customer and AI that I try to promote whenever I have the chance. :)
ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude?
ChatGPT with custom GPTs is still my go-to, but I flirt with Claude for more human-like writing and Claude Code, and use Grok mostly out of curiosity and find out what people say on X without having to get dragged in to X. Each has its strengths, but ChatGPT wins in terms of ecosystem and velocity.
What was your last SFW AI conversation?
I'm building a few personal services with Replit - so the last one was creating a personal CRM system. However, I often just babble into my phone while walking the dog. For example: “Could we use AI to auto-run trademark searches for toy names at BARK?” A few minutes later, ChatGPT had drafted a spec and suggested three workflows. That went straight to the product team.
First "aha!" moment with AI?
The first one was playing with OpenAI playground in 2020. It reminded me of the first time someone showed me “Gopher” and I got a taste for what the Internet could become. Recently, I realized that AI wasn’t just replacing tasks; it was becoming a co-founder. Watching someone with zero technical experience build a fully functioning AI-powered business in six days during an Audos test—that flipped the switch.
Your AI subscriptions and rough monthly spend?
ChatGPT Pro: $200/mo (about $200 using the api)
Claude Max: $100/mo
Midjourney: ~$30/mo
Replit: ~$30/mo
Elevenlabs (creator): $11/mo
Who do you read/listen to to stay current on AI?
Ethan Mollick (Wharton professor and sensible AI optimist)
Jeremy Utley (co-host of our podcast Beyond the Prompt)
Ben’s Bites newsletter
I built my newsletter aggregator using Google Scripts (and Claude) that compiles all my favorite Substacks into a daily, personalized summary.
Your most-used GPT/Project/Gem?
A backend server to get todos easily into Todoist. The most used one is Apple Shortcuts to AI to Todoist inbox.
The AI task that would've seemed like magic two years ago but now feels routine?
Taking a 60-minute Zoom recording, turning it into a podcast, then into a summarized blog post, pulling key quotes, and generating a visual quote card… in under five minutes. It used to take a whole team of people. Now it’s an idle Tuesday.
Magic wand feature request?
A native, high-context memory system for AI agents (that I own and control). Let me talk to my assistant like I talk to a co-founder who knows the last six weeks of thinking, not just the last six lines of chat.
If you could only invest in one company to ride the AI wave, who would it be?
Whichever company figures out how to create relationship capital at scale. AI commoditizes production, not connection. Whoever nails authentic brand relationships in an AI world—whether that’s a B2B tool or a consumer brand—wins.
Have you tried full self-driving yet?
I’ve tried Tesla’s beta. It felt like being driven by an overconfident intern with a Red Bull habit. But I’m bullish. If I can build a million-dollar AI business from my kitchen, I can’t bet against robo-chauffeurs.
Latest AI rabbit hole?
Trying to teach an AI how to give bedtime stories that nudge kids through their fears using CBT principles… while also being funny enough to hold their attention. Parenting + psychology + prompt engineering = rabbit hole city.
One piece of advice for folks wanting to get deeper into AI?
Move from Perplexity as search, to CustomGPTs for daily corporation, to Replit for coding (without knowing how to code).
Who do you want to read a Tokens & Tactics interview from?
Jeremy Utley (Stanford, Ideaflow). And Diarra Bousso—she’s a fashion designer using AI to collapse a 6-month cycle into a day. Super cool intersection of art, tech, and hustle.
If you have any questions, please be in touch. If you are interested in sponsoring BRXND NYC, reach out, and we’ll send you the details.
Thanks for reading,
Noah and Claire
I love these short interviews with the folks who are most into AI ... really helps me understand what's going on out there ...