Three Practical Ways Founders and Investors Can Use AI – Lessons from the Canopy Campfire
May 09, 2025
What happens when you sit a circle of startup founders, investors, and AI builders around a fire and ask: “How are you using AI?” That was the spark behind the most recent Canopy Campfire — an evening of shared insight, experimentation, and collective curiosity.
With speakers from Implement AI, Funketer Network, and Proper Home, and an audience of Founders from across Lisbon, Dubai, and London, the conversations quickly got real: what actually works when using AI in your startup?
Here are three practical takeaways any Founder or Investor can use right now — all learned from the wisdom shared at this month's Canopy Community Campfire:
1. Turn Your Knowledge into Scalable Revenue
Aalok from Implement AI laid out a powerful strategy: use AI agents to digitise your unique expertise. He shared how specialist consultancies (like those helping move energy infrastructure for major projects) are using AI to convert their internal playbooks into digital agents. These agents can then serve more customers without adding headcount.
💡 Use case: If your startup relies on deep domain knowledge, turn that into a private GPT that can answer customer questions, support new hires, or even power a new product line. This is a perfect AI-MVP play for knowledge-based businesses.
2. Automate the Mundane — Without Losing the Magic
Doris from Functor Network reminded everyone that not all tasks need a human touch. She’s using AI to sign up for events, manage junior dev workflows, and automate blockchain transactions. Her litmus test? “If I don’t want to do it again tomorrow, I’ll try automating it.”
The key insight? Agentic automation doesn’t replace your judgement — it just clears the path so you can focus on more strategic or creative work.
💡 Try this: Use an AI agent to book your next round of meetings, apply for grants, or summarise your board pack. Then reinvest those hours into actual product building or customer discovery.
3. Make Every Team Member a Product Manager of Their Role
John from ProprHome introduced a brilliant internal strategy: treat every employee as a product, complete with their own roadmap. Each person creates a personal automation plan, breaking down their goals into areas where AI can help them move faster, do more, or achieve higher quality.
This approach doesn’t just improve productivity — it creates buy-in, reduces fear, and makes AI implementation a shared adventure.
💡 Try this with your team: Have each person answer: “What’s the one part of your role AI could make easier this week?” Build a backlog, experiment, and celebrate the wins together. This creates a culture of curiosity, not fear.
Final Reflection: AI Is a Tool — Use It Intentionally
One of the standout insights from the session came from the audience: “Just because you use AI doesn’t mean you’re getting value from it.” AI is like spellcheck — it only helps if you know what good looks like.
Alaok’s team uses a “structured output” guide for every task. Before anyone hits generate, they define what good looks like, what the tone should be, and how the output will be used. That’s where the real productivity gains live.
Ready to Experiment?
At Canopy, we believe in shared experience, fast feedback loops, and real-world experimentation. Whether you’re exploring agentic workflows, turning insight into income, or just trying to free up your Tuesday, the best way to get better with AI is to start using it — intentionally, transparently, and collaboratively.
If you're a Founder or Investor figuring out how AI can give you an edge — or just make your life easier — come join us. Try, learn, share. That’s what the Canopy Membership is all about.
Reach out to the panelists
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalokshukla/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhernz/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmccoy2/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedro-guimar%C3%A3es-632326/
Watch the full livestream back https://www.youtube.com/live/nLX_8q-U9gE