Weekly AI Recap: From Spreadsheets to AI: How mrgn's Mission to Empower Small Businesses Led to 15x Growth in Closed Beta

Good morning! ☄️

Welcome to Homebase Edition #5 - A weekly newsletter bringing you stories & insights from scrappy teams and solo founders building the AI unicorns of tomorrow

What’s on tap today:

• Weekly Founder Story
• Weekly AI Headline Recap
• Emerging AI Trend

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AI FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT

1 Founder story
During a Sleepless Night, a Vision is Sparked

As a seasoned COO with IPO and fundraising experience, Yoni Rubin faced a tough challenge: quickly model a 15% burn rate reduction using just spreadsheets. The timeline was tight, the limitations were clear, but one sleepless night sparked the visioning for mrgn — a platform that automates business decision-making powered by AI. Mrgn has since evolved into a go-to solution for small businesses seeking advanced analytics, with rapid growth and a bold vision for democratizing business intelligence.

They've achieved:

💰 Grew from 15x users in closed beta to 100x in open beta
🏢 Established significant partnerships with major franchises like 7-Eleven
💥 $130M revenue pipeline as they formally launch to the public

What started as a passion project to solve his own headaches as an operator quickly became an ambitious quest to level the playing field. Rubin's startup puts advanced AI analytics in the palm of entrepreneurs' hands, surfacing clear performance predictions and strategic advice. Capabilities typically reserved for corporations now accessible to even solo founders and tiny teams.

Let's dive deeper:

🔍 Realized that existing analytics tools were too complex for small businesses
⚡ Pivoted from budget management to AI-powered decision support
☁️ Built a seamless cloud platform to foster trust with non-technical users
📢 Gained first users through meetups and door-to-door efforts
👐 Kept iterating based on a constant user feedback loop
💎 Stayed focused on serving underserved small business/solopreneur segment

Key Highlights:

• Founded to solve the founder's personal struggles as an experienced operator.
• Prioritized simplicity by packaging advanced AI in an accessible way.
• Embraced community input and feedback to guide product roadmap.
• Survived startup challenges through smart capital management.
• Achieved rapid growth by addressing the real needs of their core audience.
• The major customer wins and funding set the stage for future scale.

Read more about their journey here 🔥🔥🔥

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HEADLINE ROUNDUP

Headline recap

• Microsoft launches Copilot+ PCs to make Windows an AI operating system. (TC)
• Microsoft’s AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on its new PCs. (TG)
• Dell expands its partnership with Nvidia and launches new servers and PCs to boost AI offerings. (PRN)
• OpenAI pauses the 'Sky' voice from the demo after feedback on its resemblance to a famous actress. (OAI)
• Elon Musk announces X's feed will switch to a fully AI-based recommendation system soon. (X)
• Microsoft's Copilot stirs ethical debate by blending AI responses with advertisements. (X)
• EU Council approves risk-based regulations for AI development. (TC)
  Surprise Turn: Utilities Become a Leading Sector in AI Investment. (WSJ)
• First companies commit to AI safety standards ahead of Seoul summit. (TG)
• AI 'godfather' predicts we’ll need universal basic income. (BBC)

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TRENDS ‍

1 AI Trend of the week

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1/ Cover Letter Generator

This AI-powered tool helps you craft professional and personalized cover letters for job applications. It simplifies the process by providing a structured format, so you don't need to worry about the standard writing or formatting rules. Just follow a few easy steps to generate your cover letter. Most versions of this tool come with a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, and industry-specific tips to make your cover letter stand out.