In-Between Time from Prehype

This episode originally appeared on Dan Blumberg’s podcast “Future Around & Find Out”, where Henrik joined as a guest. In this conversation, Henrik Werdelin and Dan Blumberg explore how AI could reshape entrepreneurship and the broader economy. Henrik shares a “pitch for positivity”, arguing that we also have a responsibility to focus on what could go right, not just what could go wrong. They discuss how AI can lower the barriers to starting a business, potentially leading to a more distributed form of value creation. A key theme is “relationship capital” — the idea that trust and connection between founders and customers will become an increasingly important competitive advantage. They also cover: Why founders should start with problems, not ideas The “it sucks that…” method for identifying meaningful problems How AI can help entrepreneurs get unstuck The idea of “minimum viable agents” Lessons from past technologies and how they shaped work and society Henrik also shares how he uses AI in his own workflows, from summarizing information to building personal tools, and reflects on the skills that matter most for future entrepreneurs. Prehype:  prehype.com Audos: audos.com Future Around & Find Out: futurearound.com

Join David McRaney, host of "You Are Not So Smart," and Kian Gohar, a leadership expert and author, as they dive into the promising intersection of AI and creativity. They unveil a new framework called FIXIT that transforms how teams brainstorm using AI, particularly ChatGPT. The duo discusses surprising study results that challenge assumptions about AI's effectiveness in ideation. They emphasize the necessity of human collaboration and engaging AI as a creative partner to unlock innovative ideas, using concepts like the 'Einstellung effect' and inventing methods to improve brainstorming.

The podcast explores the role of AI in enhancing operations and customer service, discussing real-world examples of AI implementation. It covers the integration of AI in transitioning to an ed tech business, highlighting cognitive benefits. The discussion extends to AI applications in tasks like transcribing content, preparing scripts, and creating marketing campaigns for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The impact of AI models like GPT-4 in work and creativity is explored, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI. The complexities of AI integration, pitfalls of AI adoption, and the role of AI as a thought partner and strategic tool are also discussed.

Henrik Werdelin is the co-founder of BARK (BarkBox) as well as Founding Partner of Prehype, a venture development firm headquartered in New York with offices in London and Copenhagen. His latest book is The Acorn Method - about how companies can grow in an ever-changing environment. Henrik has been part of the startup scene since 2005 as both an investor, founder, and advisor. His experience ranges from being an Entrepreneur in Residence at Index Ventures to working with, advising or investing in start-ups like HotPotato (now Facebook), GoTryItOn (now Rent the Runway), ReadMill (now DropBox) and Sunrise (now Microsoft). Before being an entrepreneur/angel, Werdelin was Vice President of Product Development and Strategy for MTV Networks International spearheading the development of many of MTV's award-winning products. He is a frequent speaker at top-tier business schools and has been quoted in numerous publications and media outlets on subjects such as corporate innovation, product design and entrepreneurship. He is Danish but lives in the US with his family, where he was named among the Top 100 most Creative by the industry magazine Fast Company and Silicon Alley Insider’s '100 People in Tech’. 

Guests:Mario Gabriele (https://twitter.com/mariogabriele)Ben Bajarin (https://twitter.com/BenBajarin) Produced by Nicholas Thorne - https://twitter.com/thorneny  Henrik Werdelin - https://twitter.com/werdelin Prehype also posts on Twitter https://twitter.com/prehype. Please tweet at us for questions or comments.  

Building a new business from scratch is hard under any circumstance - adding the complexity of doing it inside a company can be daunting. Through our work at prehype we meet internal entrepreneurs who are attempting to build these new businesses from within a company -  this podcast series aims to capture what they did and what they learned. In this episode, we sit down with Romain Rousseau who is one of the co-founders of COOP by Ryder. COOP is the attempt at creating an “Airbnb for trucks” - as in creating a marketplace for underutilized truck capacity. Romain is also the Group Director of Digital Innovation at Ryder, a Miami Heat (and Lakers) fan and based in Miami, Florida, although originally from France.  We discuss the origins of COOP by Ryder, what initially enabled Romain to start - and what were key factors for him and the team to test and scale the new business. Romain will share his thoughts in how he built the team from within, how they chose to validate their idea and how they approached the supply & demand dynamics of their marketplace.Produced by: Philip Petersen / twitter.com/pippipsiprehype:prehype.com & twitter.com/prehype

Produced by: Henrik WerdelinHenrik: twitter.com/werdelin and hellohenrik.comPrehype: prehype.comManuel Araoz: twitter.com/maraoz and maraoz.com/Nicholas Thorne: twitter.com/thorneny and medium.com/@thornenyDamion Janski Instagram: d.a.m.j.a.n.s.k.i and http://damjanski.comM.Araoz’s original article: OpenAI's GPT-3 may be the biggest thing since bitcoin Click here to BUY Henrik’s book The Acorn Method 

While Henrik currently cannot walk and talk with people for the podcast, we are shaking things up with a new format.  For the next number of weeks, we will be sourcing and condensing interesting blog posts into audio format here, for your listening pleasure. First up, we are taking a dive into Henrik’s 8+1 Method of moving through life with intention while managing two growing businesses and a family. Henrik first shared this system with Dan Shipper of Super Organizers, in October of 2019.  Henrik: twitter.com/werdelin and hellohenrik.com|Prehype: prehype.comDan Shipper: twitter.com/danshipper and danshipper.comSuper Organizers: https://superorganizers.substack.com/8 +1 System: https://medium.com/@werdelin/the-quest-to-be-good-at-everything-898524cfc3f3 Click here to BUY Henrik’s book The Acorn Method 

As cities shut down and people engage in social distancing, we are taking a new approach to his podcast. In this episode, meet Henrik in the comfort of his own home while he introduces you to his latest project, a book called The Acorn Method.  Enjoy  a sample of the first few pages of the audio book and begin to explore his concept of building businesses within your existing business.  Similar to how oak trees regenerate by dropping acorns that become new trees, you need to learn how to build a forest—not just a bigger tree.  Produced by: Henrik WerdelinHenrik: twitter.com/werdelin and hellohenrik.comPrehype: prehype.comThe Acorn Method: https://hellohenrik.com/book and https://twitter.com/TheAcornMethodClick here to BUY the BOOK