What Smart Founders Are Doing With AI (Hint: It's Not Just Cutting Headcount)

💸 Who Got Funded – August Week 1

Here’s a look at what’s attracting early-stage capital in the US right now—and why it matters for your roadmap:

🚀 Comp AI ($2.6M Pre-Seed) – AI compensation analytics platform
✅ Why they got funded: AI-native use case with clear HR/talent ROI
✅ Investors: OSS Capital, Grand Ventures, David Cramer, Ben Tossell

🛡️ WiseBee ($2.5M Pre-Seed) – AI-driven cybersecurity startup
✅ Why they got funded: Security + AI remains one of the hottest and most active verticals
✅ Investors: Undisclosed (US–Bulgarian hybrid founding team)

🔍 Translucent AI ($7M Seed) – AI infrastructure for internal data search
✅ Why they got funded: Unlocking value from internal knowledge bases is a high-priority pain point
✅ Investors: NEA, Virtue, FPV, Redesign

⚡ Lava ($5.8M Seed) – Payments infrastructure for SaaS
✅ Why they got funded: B2B payments infrastructure continues to be under-optimized
✅ Investors: Fintech-focused VCs

💼 Menos AI ($5.2M Seed) – Enterprise AI ops tooling
✅ Why they got funded: Large-market opportunity + ops efficiency focus
✅ Investors: Silicon Valley family offices, early-stage funds

🔋 Wattch ($6M Seed) – Monitoring platform for solar installs
✅ Why they got funded: Clean tech + data = major tailwind
✅ Investors: Southeast-based climate investors

🧠 Nudge ($100M Series A) – Brain-computer interface technology
✅ Why they got funded: Deep IP and major category creation potential
✅ Investors: Thrive Capital, Greenoaks

🧬 Centivax ($45M Series A) – AI-based vaccine development
✅ Why they got funded: Biotech x AI is one of the most funded deep-tech crossovers
✅ Investors: Not disclosed

📊 Ambrook ($26.1M Series A) – Agri-finance platform for farmers
✅ Why they got funded: Niche vertical + accounting + SaaS = strong retention
✅ Investors: Multiple top-tier VCs

📈 Sundial ($23M Series A) – AI for data & analytics
✅ Why they got funded: Enterprise teams still struggle with decision intelligence
✅ Investors: GreatPoint Ventures

💬 Campfire ($35M Series A) – AI-powered social discovery network
✅ Why they got funded: High-growth user traction + vertical community opportunity
✅ Investors: Accel, Foundation Capital, Y Combinator

🔍 What We’re Seeing in the Field: AI Playbooks Are Misaligned

At this month’s AI roundtables, we dug into how CEOs are thinking about AI.

Here’s the surprising (and slightly concerning) reality:

Most founders are underplaying AI's revenue potential.

You’d think AI would be all about expansion. But here’s what’s really happening:

• Some CEOs are using it to cut headcount

• Others are outsourcing AI entirely to their teams

• A few are quietly automating internal workflows

But very few are asking: How do we use AI to make more money?

And even fewer are treating pricing as the strategic lever it is. If your product is priced by seat and your customers are shrinking headcount... you’re headed toward quiet churn unless you act now.

💡 Your move:
If you're not actively re-evaluating pricing models and identifying AI-native revenue plays, you're already behind the leaders.

📍 CEO Insight of the Week: Proximity = Power (Again)

Is in-person networking making a comeback?

We think yes.

Your edge used to be distribution. Now it’s increasingly access.

The real question for founders:
Are you visible where the real conversations are happening?

In our community, we’re seeing more:

• Micro-gatherings replacing mass meetups

• Walk-and-talks, salon dinners, peer breakfasts

• Local gravity forming new founder hubs in LA, Austin, Atlanta, and beyond

If you’re not tracking your network-building as aggressively as you track pipeline, you may be falling behind.

🧭 Ask yourself:

• Who are the 10 relationships I need to move forward this quarter?

• How am I getting proximity with them—not just interaction?

• What systems do I have to follow up, deepen, and expand those connections?

📌 BIG TIP: Design AI Strategy Around Revenue, Not Headcount

Don’t let your org treat AI like just another “productivity initiative.” The fastest-growing companies are:

• Repricing AI-driven products with value in mind

• Offering AI-as-a-service add-ons to core workflows

• Reimagining offers (and GTM motion) from the ground up—not as a retrofit

👥 Want to talk through how this applies to your company?

We’re running short 1:1 coaching sessions with founders who want to:

• Rethink pricing in an AI-first market

• Shift their team mindset from “AI productivity” to “AI revenue”

• Build a roadmap that’s not just reactive, but bold and future-oriented

Reply with "AI REVENUE" and we’ll send you a link to book a personal CEO session.

Looking forward to connecting with you.

Apryl Syed

Founders Edge/ApetureCodex