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What’s on tap today:

• Our interview with Founder

• Weekly Headline Recap

• What's trending in AI this week

• Community Update

• How Homebase Helps You

AI Founder Story

The 10-Minute AI Agents

Quick Background

Meet Snow Lee, the mastermind behind Runbear, a platform revolutionizing how non-technical teams leverage AI. Imagine setting up an AI teammate in just 10 minutes, ready to integrate seamlessly into Slack and other workplace tools—without writing a single line of code.

Snow is no stranger to entrepreneurship. A third-time founder, he previously built and sold two successful startups in Korea before launching his first U.S.-based company. His mission? To reduce cognitive overload and help teams focus on what truly matters.

In our latest conversation, he unveiled eye-opening insights into AI adoption struggles, the enterprise tech gap, and how AI is transforming workflows from the inside out.

Key Achievements & Insights:

• The DIY AI Revolution: RunBear is making it possible for non-technical teams to build and deploy AI assistants effortlessly, shifting the AI landscape from engineering-heavy to user-friendly.

• Why AI Adoption Fails: Many companies rush to implement AI but fail to integrate it into their workflows, leading to high churn. The solution? Simplicity & self-service deployment.

• AI is Augmenting, Not Replacing: The biggest misconception? That AI will wipe out jobs. In reality, AI is helping teams do more with fewer people, freeing them from repetitive tasks.

• Enterprise Roadblocks: Security concerns and rigid policies often slow down AI adoption. RunBear is tackling this head-on with SOC 2 compliance, GDPR readiness, and enterprise-grade solutions.

• Real-World Impact: Companies like LaserAway are saving 180+ hours per week by integrating AI-powered assistants into Slack. Imagine an AI teammate instantly pulling up customer details, answering FAQs, and streamlining internal workflows!

• Lesson from a Serial Founder: Snow learned the hard way that market immersion is key—after running a startup remotely in India, he realized that being on the ground leads to smarter decisions and faster growth.

Watch the full interview below! 👇

The Ultimate Lesson

AI isn’t just about automation—it’s about amplification. The most successful AI implementations don’t replace employees; they make them smarter, faster, and more efficient. Snow believes that companies need to align AI with real workflows, instead of forcing teams to adapt to complex tech.

If your organization is struggling with AI adoption or drowning in manual, repetitive work, it’s time to rethink how AI fits into your daily operations.

Read the full case study on how RunBear views AI as a Knowledge Amplifier, Not a Replacement →

HEADLINE ROUNDUP
Headline recap

• Musk, Microsoft & BlackRock Form $30B AI Superpower (Link) Elon Musk's xAI joins forces with tech and finance giants to create a massive $30 billion fund that could reshape the entire AI infrastructure landscape.

• SoftBank Makes $6.5B Power Play for Chip Innovator Ampere (Link) In a stunning market move, SoftBank swoops in with a $6.5 billion deal to dominate the AI computing chip space as demand for processing power skyrockets.

• Nvidia Unleashes Revolutionary "Blackwell Ultra" to Transform AI Reasoning (Link) Nvidia shatters performance benchmarks with its groundbreaking Blackwell Ultra chip, potentially triggering a new arms race in AI computational capability.

• OpenAI Demands Chinese AI Ban Amid Escalating Tech Cold War (Link) In an unprecedented move that signals deepening global AI rivalries, OpenAI calls for restrictions that could dramatically reshape international AI development.

• Wuhan Pours Billions Into AI Development With 20M Yuan Per Project (Link) China accelerates its AI ambitions with Wuhan's aggressive new funding initiative, offering companies unprecedented financial backing to drive innovation.

TRENDS
What's trending in AI

Dopple AI

• Key Player: Co-founded by Jon Woodruff and Aaron Powers, Dopple AI has raised $22M in Series A funding led by Founders Fund, with additional backing from Paradigm and Redpoint Ventures.

• Market Value: Though exact valuation is private, the company's rapid funding success suggests strong investor confidence in its consumer AI entertainment model.

• Adoption: Achieved over 1 million active users within months of launching, with particularly strong engagement from Gen Z and millennial demographics.

• Recent Developments: Released a mobile app in Q1 2025, expanding beyond web interface and introducing monetization through premium characters and interactions.

Growth: Dopple AI has seen explosive user growth of over 5600% since its 2023 launch, reaching 201K daily active users. Its character library has expanded from 50 to over 800 fictional personalities, with plans to partner with major entertainment studios.

Why It Matters: Dopple represents the emerging "entertainment AI" category that blends media with advanced conversational AI. Its success demonstrates consumer appetite for interactive, personalized entertainment experiences beyond traditional passive consumption of content.

The Big Picture: As AI entertainment platforms gain momentum, they're creating new revenue streams for intellectual property holders while potentially disrupting traditional entertainment consumption patterns. Dopple's approach signals how AI could transform how stories are experienced, with implications for gaming, streaming, and social media.

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