AI startups booming, moving from chatbots to niche solutions

Companies winning with AI aren’t trying to replace their best people Because GenAI divide is real. 95% of companies are spending millions on AI projects that go absolutely nowhere. I spent the last week digging into why. And the answer isn’t what you think it is. It’s not that the AI models aren’t good enough. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini- they’re genuinely incredible. The models work. As the MIT’s researchers say, the problem is a “learning gap.” Companies are taking generic AI tools and trying to force them into workflows that were built for humans, with all the bureaucracy and friction baked in. Think about it. You’ve got a customer service team that’s always had a 3-day approval process for refunds. Then you deploy a chatbot. You expect it to follow that same workflow instantly. But the bot doesn’t understand why the 3-day process exists. It doesn’t know about the one customer who called their CEO. It doesn’t see the unwritten rule that VIPs get exceptions. So it breaks. Fast. I’m still figuring out, that the wins aren’t happening with the flashy stuff- not with “AI-powered this” or “intelligence-as-a-service” that. They’re happening in the unglamorous places. Back-office automation. A marketing agency saved 8-10 hours a week just automating meeting notes and proposal generation. A retail company increased cart size by 15% with product recommendations. Boring, right? Except those teams are actually seeing ROI. The real pattern here is that the companies winning with AI aren’t trying to replace their best people. They’re using AI to remove the friction their best people hate. What’s the most mind-numbing, repetitive task your team does every week that takes up space but adds zero strategic value? Because that’s where your AI experiment should actually go. Not because it’s sexy or Because it’s solvable or buildable. Follow for more! Drop it in the comments. I’m genuinely curious what the friction points are in your world. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ProductManagement #GoToMarket #Innovation #Technology #Startups #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #DigitalTransformation

🚀 Founders, are you using AI — or building an AI Operating System for your growth? The 2024 playbook was: “Use more AI tools.” The 2025 playbook is: “Orchestrate AI into a cohesive operating system for 10x leverage.” Most founders lose time integrating disconnected tools. The real unlock? A unified AI Automation OS that: 🤖 Automates lead gen & qualification — agents that find, vet & warm leads. 🧠 Personalizes content at scale — AI crafts bespoke messaging for every segment. ⚙️ Streamlines founder workflows — AI handles outreach, ops, and reporting, freeing strategic focus. It’s time to stop collecting tools—and start architecting an AI OS for your entire GTM and operational stack. What’s the #1 workflow you’d delegate to your AI OS right now? 👉 Comment “Pulse” or DM “Audit” for your Growth Hack your business with our Free Tailored Growth Report #AIAutomation #founder #Startups

The Best AI Strategy I’ve Seen This Month Came From a Waitlist Page. A startup I stumbled on had a “Join Waitlist” page that asked one brilliant question: “What problem keeps you awake at night?” They fed those answers into an #LLM not to sell, but to refine their roadmap. That’s AI strategy done right: not automating old habits, but listening at scale. Forget dashboards your next insight might be buried in your inbox. #AIForBusiness #CustomerIntelligence #Innovation

The Most Honest AI Feedback Tool Ever Made 🔂 EP #256 If you’ve ever had a startup idea and wondered — “Would this actually work?” 🤔 Then you’re going to love (and maybe fear) this one. 😅 Today, we’re testing Don’t Build This, an AI platform that gives you brutally honest feedback on your startup ideas — before you waste time or money building them. 💬 I put my own idea — Nugget Finder AI — to the test, and the feedback was savage 😬. But that’s the point. Don’t Build This AI helps founders validate ideas early, spot weaknesses, and pivot fast — all powered by AI intelligence. ⚙️ ✅ What you’ll learn (key viewer benefits): 💡 How to test your startup ideas instantly using AI. 🔥 Why brutal feedback can save you time, money, and energy. 🚀 How to pivot your idea before investing too much. 🧠 How AI is redefining validation and ideation for founders and creators. If you’re building in public, brainstorming new ventures, or just curious about how AI can sharpen your thinking — this is a must-watch. 🎯 Don't Build This AI: https://lnkd.in/emaCnQpJ Perfecting Prompts: https://lnkd.in/exV3qdw4 AI Content Creation Playlist: https://lnkd.in/eEBXYSCR AI Research Playlist: https://lnkd.in/eMWwD7M2 AI Automation, Workflow & Apps Playlist: https://lnkd.in/ebwfqm9N Every day of EverydayAI Playlist: https://lnkd.in/gstHMsRw This video is an AI walkthrough as part of our Everyday AI series. Subscribe to our channel to learn more about AI. 👉 Chat to ChatJPT: https://lnkd.in/eCiheyYf 🌐 Website: https://lnkd.in/e2H9_sP4 #DontBuildThisAI #StartupIdeas #AIForFounders #EverydayAI #AIValidation

Is anyone else noticing the rise in founders using AI to solve problems that don’t really need it? Are we using AI to solve problems where the value it delivers is unmatched — or to chase shortcuts and avoid solving them in more effective, but harder ways? Sure — AI feels powerful, exciting, and fast. But I’ve seen more and more startups apply it where a simple system or logical process could work better — and without the risks of inaccuracies or hallucinations. Not to mention the unfavorable long-term economics of it all. Lately, it feels like AI is being used as a shortcut — sometimes out of convenience, sometimes for quick cash grabs. Like using Ozempic instead of spending more time in the gym. What do you think — are we, as founders, using AI to build better solutions, or to build shortcuts? Sometimes the smarter solution isn’t artificial. #AI #SaaS #ProductDevelopment #StartupLife #Founders

Monetizing AI is no longer just about big budgets or flashy tech demos—it’s about *building smart, autonomous agents that solve real user problems at scale*. This practical shift toward micro-SaaS and agent-based businesses is reshaping how we think about AI commercialization. By leveraging tools like OpenAI API, Notion AI, and Zapier AI, creators can build AI agents that do more than automate—they plan, adapt, and provide ongoing value. The true edge? Combining autonomy with ethical, user-centric design. This means crafting agents that not only deliver effective solutions but also scale sustainably without riding the wave of hype. Multi-agent systems are especially powerful here, enabling modular, collaborative workflows that unlock new services and revenue streams. Entrepreneurs who master this playbook will lead the next wave of AI-driven businesses—those that earn trust and revenue by aligning closely with real-world needs. How are you leveraging AI agents in your business models? Are your solutions built for autonomy, scalability, and genuine user value? 🚀 Let’s talk about turning AI potential into practical impact. #AgenticAI #MultiAgentSystems #MicroSaaS #Automation #AIagents #AIbusiness #OpenAIAPI #FutureOfWork #LLMops #Entrepreneurship #SustainableAI

If your AI strategy starts with a chatbot, you’ve already lost. Let’s be honest , every startup pitch now screams “GenAI-powered customer experience.” Cool. But here’s the truth no one’s saying out loud: The real money isn’t in talking to customers. It’s in transforming how your business thinks, creates, and moves. While others chase shiny bots , the smart founders are quietly building 💼 $5M AI back offices that automate supply chains, 📦 predict demand, and generate product content at scale. Here’s the real shift: AI isn’t just a front-end accessory anymore. It’s the new operating system for how your business runs. So the question isn’t ❌ How can we add GenAI to our brand? ✅ How can we rebuild our entire engine with it? The next wave of eCommerce winners won’t use AI. They’ll be built on it. I’ve shared my take, now I’d love to hear yours. Where do you see the real GenAI opportunity? 👇 https://lnkd.in/eshhmHPu #ArtificialIntelligence #GenAI #DigitalTransformation #BusinessInnovation

With software, there's usually a right and wrong way to use it. There are manuals, help articles, how-to guides, videos, etc. There are teams of people supporting and helping you onboard the tool. #AI, on the other hand, is the Wild West right now, and I’m constantly asking myself if I’m using it the right way. I still don’t really know. 😅 But a few usage patterns have started to emerge for me. 1️⃣ I feed it with as much context as possible. Before I generate a prompt, I stuff the AI with everything I have and know about that particular project or assignment, giving it links and PDFs, sharing any relevant stakeholder input, and defining some guardrails for what I think the output needs to look like. 2️⃣ I judge the output—hard. This is a bit tricky to explain, but I kind of have to use my intuition on whether or not something it returned “feels” right or not. Does it even make sense? Do I understand the actual phrases and words it used? If not, then I’m onto the final point below, which is… 3️⃣ I ask for clarification and for sources. AI has a tendency to say anything, even when it doesn’t know, so if something sounds off, I ask it to elaborate, or if needed, share the source. More than once, it returned a 404’ed webpage! So, this step is crucial. Where are my AI experts at? How is everyone using it today? #startups #b2bmarketing

What's the biggest mistake founders make with AI? They think it's going to replace them. But here's the reality - AI isn't replacing founders. It's making the right ones unstoppable. Every founder I know is drowning in decisions, deadlines, and data. AI isn't magic, it's leverage. Real, measurable leverage. Here's what happens when you use it properly: → Zero-code prototyping that launches MVPs in under 48 hours → 40% faster product validation through automated user feedback analysis → Save 15+ hours weekly on market research and customer responses → Cut marketing costs by 60% with AI-generated content and optimization → 2x team efficiency as small teams outperform companies with 5x headcount The smartest founders don't just talk about AI - They use it to remove bottlenecks and amplify focus. They stay three steps ahead while competitors waste time on manual tasks. If you're not letting AI handle the repetitive 80% of your work, you're wasting brainpower on tasks you should have automated yesterday 🤖 LinkedIn gives you the platform to share these insights. AI gives you the leverage to execute faster than ever. The question isn't whether you'll use AI - It's whether you'll use it before your competition does ⚡ When are you getting started? #AI #Founders #Startups #Productivity #Automation #ArtificialIntelligence

It might be controversial to say this — but the 𝑨𝑰 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 is already peaking. Every day, new startups are selling “agentic systems” to SMBs: chatbots, content engines, lead bots, etc. And many of them are making money fast. But here’s the reality ➡️ that wave won’t last. Because 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐚𝐭. When everyone can spin up a business in 30 minutes with AI that handles posting, funnels, sales, and follow-ups... the edge disappears. The 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 won’t be the ones who automate tasks. They’ll be the ones who 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥. AI is about to make execution free. The scarce resource will be 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 — knowing who to serve, how to create value, and how to design systems that make humans more impactful, not more replaceable. That’s where the real long-term opportunity lies. At TransparencEd, we’re betting on that version of the future — where AI doesn’t just do the work, it helps people become the best at what they do.