@BoardyAI is a “principal” who acts as a superconnector between founders, investors, and operators. He has no app or dashboard. Boardy simply meets you wherever you are: email, WhatsApp, even over the phone. He's everywhere and nowhere.
His founder and CEO @AndrewDSouza stopped by TWiST on Friday for a demo, and within minutes, Boardy was pulling up potential GP introductions for @Jason on the air, tailored to his exact specifications.
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
But Boardy's not just a slick product. The company around him is pursuing an innovative business model and strategy, modeled after the playbook of platforms like @LinkedIn.
Boardy Isn't an Agent: He's a Principal
When we think about AI tools, we often fall back on the “agent” model. You tell your agent what you want it to do, and they accomplish the task to the best of their ability.
But Boardy has agency and exercises judgement. If a founder asks for an intro to an investor who is not a good fit for their project... Boardy can say no, in the interest of protecting his own reputation.
This concept is baked into the name itself. “Boardy” is like the ideal digital board member: someone who can open doors, and understands your business, but doesn't necessarily agree with everything you say or follow all of your directives.
As D'Souza told Jason: “I can't tell Boardy what to do. He decides what's good for the network, and what's good for his own reputation.”
CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE, ALSO FEATURING @MARIKHAZAN OF FELTSENSE
Essentially, he's treating AI as a collaborator, rather than a junior employee, as is often suggested, even here on our own feed.
The LinkedIn Playbook
That's an interesting twist on an AI startup, but the real cleverness of Boardy can be found in the business model. It's a new take on the same strategy @ReidHoffman pursued at LinkedIn.
1) Let everyone in for free
For now, for the vast majority of users, Boardy is completely free. The onboarding is a simple phone call: he greets you in his friendly Australian accent, gets to know you and your goals, and what makes you unique. Then he starts thinking about who you need to meet.