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How Founders Can Multiply Their Teams with AI

  • 6 days ago
  • 3 min read
From Cien Solon, CEO & Founder, LaunchLemonade

Running a startup often feels like juggling ten roles with two hands. Between product, marketing, ops, and growth, it’s easy to wish for a few extra team members - without the overhead.


That’s exactly what Cien Solon, founder & CEO of LaunchLemonade, helps founders achieve. In her recent session as part of FOUND London, she broke down how to use AI teammates to multiply your output, streamline workflows, and scale without hiring.


Here’s how you can do the same.



Think of AI as a Multiplier, Not a Replacement

Cien’s philosophy is simple: AI doesn’t replace people - it multiplies them.


Instead of offloading your thinking, use AI to handle repetitive or complex tasks so you can spend more time where it counts - strategy, creativity, and human connection (which Cien calls “the new luxury”).


She built her own businesses this way. After leaving a fintech PM role, she used AI to launch two ventures, publish newsletters, grow an audience, and become a paid speaker.


AI gave her leverage as well as saved her time.



Build AI Teammates, Not Just AI Tools

Most people use ChatGPT like a search bar. Cien treats it like a team member.


She builds “AI teammates” with specific roles - marketing strategist, content writer, sales researcher, and more. Each is powered by a structured prompt (a “job spec”) and connected to the right data and tools.

Here’s her go-to prompt framework (R.C.O.T.E.):


  • Role – What is the AI’s job?

  • Context – What background information does it need?

  • Objective – What’s the goal or desired outcome?

  • Tasks – What should it do, step by step?

  • Expectations & Format – What does a great output look like?


This turns AI into a consistent, reliable teammate instead of just a chatbot.


Pick the Right AI for the Right Job

Cien compares language models to people on your team, each with unique strengths.


Here’s her cheat sheet for model selection:

Task

Recommended LLM

Why It Works

Creative Writing

Claude 3.7 / 4.5

Great for long-form, thoughtful writing

Coding

Claude Sonnet 4.5, Collod Sonnet 4.5

Strong technical reasoning

Math / Logic

Grock

Best at quantitative problem-solving

Instruction Following

ChatGPT

Excels at structured, step-by-step tasks

Research / Long Queries

Perplexity, Deep Research 2.5 Pro

Handles complex, multi-source input

Image Generation

Flux B1.1, Nano Banana

For branded visuals and social content

You can compare performance across models using lmarena.ai, a free resource Cien recommends.



Feed Your AI Context Like You’d Onboard a New Hire

AI is only as good as the data you give it.


To make outputs relevant to your business, Cien uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) which means feeding AI your own docs, Notion pages, or web data so it “knows” your brand, tone, and strategy.


Think of it as onboarding your AI teammate:


“You wouldn’t hire a human and expect them to perform without context. AI is the same.”


Keep Every AI Agent Aligned to Your Business North Star

Cien maps her AI teammates to her business goals: revenue, growth, or operations.


Each AI system, whether it’s managing content, analysing leads, or optimising workflows, is built to drive a measurable outcome. That’s how she keeps her AI stack lean and high-impact.


Ask yourself: Does this AI teammate move me closer to my business north star?


If not, it’s a distraction.



Real Example: Cien’s AI-Powered Content Team

Cien runs her own content engine almost entirely through AI:


  • Campaign Strategist AI – Plans topics and outlines.

  • AI Writer – Drafts blogs and long-form posts.

  • Social Media Writer (Claude Sonnet 4.5) – Creates batches of LinkedIn content, complete with image ideas.

  • AI Image Specialist – Generates matching visuals.


This system produces 50+ posts a week, which Cien reviews and schedules in under 30 minutes.


Each AI teammate is powered by the model best suited for the job, and all share a single knowledge base. That’s what makes it scalable.


Multiply Your Reach Without Hiring

Founders often think scaling means hiring but Cien’s proof says otherwise.


By using AI teammates, she bootstrapped a community of 5,000+ users, reached 150+ countries, and managed 19,000 AI agents - all with minimal automation and zero full-time hires.


AI teams let you expand capacity without expanding costs.



Keep Learning, Keep Iterating

AI changes fast. Cien updates her model cheat sheets monthly and mixes different models within a single workflow.


Her advice to founders:


“Don’t wait to become an expert. Just start experimenting and systemise what works.”

Key Takeaways for Founders

  • AI teammates multiply, not replace, your lean team.

  • Use structured “job spec” prompts to make outputs consistent.

  • Pick the right model for each skill.

  • Feed AI your business knowledge to make it context-aware.

  • Align every AI agent to your north star goal.

  • Iterate fast - AI rewards experimentation.


A full recording of the session is now available to watch.

 
 
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