Henrik Werdelin On Taking A $1.6 Billion Dog Products Company Public, Running An Incubator Supporting Repeat Founders, And Creating An AI Platform to Assist Entrepreneurs

In the fast-paced world of startups, few entrepreneurs stand out quite like Henrik Werdelin. With roots in Copenhagen, a foundation in journalism, and a career spanning MTV, startups, and venture capital, Henrik’s story is a testament to embracing curiosity and adaptability.

Henrik’s latest venture, Audos is an AI-driven software platform and ecosystem designed to empower a new class of entrepreneurs—often individuals or very small teams—to rapidly build, launch, and scale profitable, million-dollar-a-year businesses.

In this episode, you will learn:

• From journalism to startups, Henrik’s journey underscores the value of embracing curiosity and adapting to change.
• Successful ventures prioritize deep customer understanding and alignment with the founder’s passion, as seen with BARK and Ro.
• Henrik’s experiences, like the failure of Joost, highlight the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks, treating failure as an integral part of growth.
• Henrik’s ventures, including Prehype and Audos, focus on creating value through innovation while solving specific problems for well-defined audiences.
• Entrepreneurs should approach their journey with resilience, a playful mindset, and a focus on physical and mental health to sustain long-term success.
• Audos leverages AI to lower barriers to entry for startups, empowering individuals to scale their ideas and create impactful businesses.
• Henrik’s life philosophy of building systems, experimenting, and pursuing “interestingness” over fixed objectives offers a flexible approach to achieving greatness.

 

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About Henrik Werdelin:

Henrik Werdelin is an accomplished founder, investor, and author with over 15 years at the forefront of entrepreneurship.

Best known as the co-founder of Bark (BarkBox), the NYSE-listed company bringing joy to dogs and their people, Henrik also co-founded Prehype, the esteemed startup studio behind ventures like AndCo, Ro, and ManagedByQ, and Audos, an AI platform helping aspiring entrepreneurs create startups smarter and faster.

Active in applied AI since 2019, Henrik co-hosts the podcast “Beyond the Prompt” with Stanford’s Jeremy Utley and is the co-author of the forthcoming “Me, My Customer and AI,” exploring how AI reshapes the entrepreneurial landscape.

Formerly an Entrepreneur in Residence at Index Ventures and head of product development at MTV International, Henrik has been involved in multiple successful startups and incubations—including HotPotato, AndCo, ReadMill, and Sunrise—to acquisitions by the likes of Facebook, Fiverr, Dropbox, and Microsoft.

A native of Denmark with stints in Paris, London, and New York, Henrik frequently speaks on entrepreneurship and AI and has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the “Top 100 Most Creative People in Business” and by Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100.

Henrik graduated from Aalborg University (Denmark) with a BA in Social and Politics Science and received a Masters with distinction in Journalism from the University of Westminster (London, UK).

Connect with Henrik Werdelin:

• LinkedIn
• Crunchbase
• PitchBook
• Bloomberg

Read the Full Transcription of the Interview:

Alejandro Cremades: All righty. Hello, everyone, and welcome to The Deal Maker Show. Today, we have a truly spectacular founder—a founder who has been incredibly successful multiple times. He’s also European, just like myself, so we’ll be having a clash of accents on the show today. I think you’re going to find our conversation very inspiring. He has all kinds of mental models for everything. You’ll find that fascinating, especially his insights on customer-founder fit versus product-market fit, his more “promiscuous” approach to ideas, and his thesis on relationships toward capital in these crazy times of AI.

Alejandro Cremades: Brace yourself for an inspiring conversation. Without further ado, let’s welcome our guest today, Henrik Werdelin. Welcome to the show!

Henrik Werdelin: Thank you for having me on. I feel like there should be some applause here, like, “Woo!”

Alejandro Cremades: I love it. I love it. So, give us a walk down memory lane, Henrik. How was life for you growing up in Copenhagen, Denmark?

Henrik Werdelin: Well, I grew up in Copenhagen, and when I was about eight years old, my parents separated. I mostly grew up with my mom, who is this fantastic, slightly eccentric historian. I drew a lot of inspiration from her academic side. My dad, who is still alive but retired now, was a fairly successful businessman. So, I grew up in a happy, divorced family setting, with two very different parents who inspired me in different ways.

Alejandro Cremades: Eventually, when you turned 18, you went to London to explore greener pastures. In this case, it was to become a journalist. Where did the idea of journalism come from, and how did leaving Denmark for this adventure come about?

Henrik Werdelin: You know, I always thought I wanted to be a journalist. My big dream was to be a CNN correspondent. My mom worked for the National Library, and her boss at the time told her, “Whatever you do, make sure your kid learns about this new computer thing.” She spent most of her money on a Commodore PC, so I developed an early interest in technology. But I still wanted to be a journalist, so I got into a master’s program in journalism. I’ve always had a bit of an adventurous spirit, so off I went.

Alejandro Cremades: Eventually, you ended up at MTV, where you combined the creative side of things with technology—whether that was editing documentaries or handling whatever came your way. MTV played quite a pivotal role in your career. You were there for over four years, but you also got your feet wet with startups during that time. Startups seem pretty far removed from MTV. How did that combination come about, and what led you to fully dive into startups?

Henrik Werdelin: Growing up, no one really talked about startups or entrepreneurship. But I was always the guy starting the school magazine, the student radio station, or organizing whatever could be organized. At MTV, I was doing my final thesis and got an internship there. Since I didn’t have a computer at home, I wrote my thesis at the MTV offices. My boss figured out that I knew about computers and asked if I could make a TV show about the internet.

I came up with an idea—which seems obvious now, but it was new at the time—of a computer with a camera going into it, showcasing all kinds of things. I pitched the idea to senior management, and everyone thought it was dumb. So, I broke into the studio at 2 a.m. and made an hour-long live TV show. The next day, I thought I was going to be fired, but the president at the time, Bryn Hansen, was trying to figure out who made the show because people had called in about it and wanted to see it again. Instead of being fired, I got promoted to Head of Product Development at MTV at a pretty young age.

Alejandro Cremades: How did that experience lead you into startups? That’s quite the transition.

Henrik Werdelin: While I was at MTV, I met a guy named Klaus, who wanted me to do a startup with him. We left MTV and started a company, where MTV, the BBC, and others were our clients. Later, I returned to MTV to run MTV Games. During that time, I met two people who had started Skype. They were curious about video and asked me to join them and a few others to start a company called Joost back in 2000.

Joost was a big deal at the time—it was pre-YouTube and pre-Hulu. We were among the first to create a serious online video platform. It didn’t end up working out, but I learned so much about building something from scratch. That’s how I got lured into startups.

Alejandro Cremades: As they say, you either succeed or you learn. When it didn’t work out, what was your biggest takeaway?

Henrik Werdelin: Since you brought up the European thing, I’ll mention this: One of the biggest lessons I learned was the cultural difference between the U.S. and Europe when it comes to failure. American culture embraces failure, whereas most European cultures do not. When I moved to New York and started talking about Joost, Europeans would say, “Oh, you should’ve stayed at MTV.” In the U.S., people said, “That’s incredible! You reinvented the interface!”

One thing I learned is that raising a lot of money and failing doesn’t mean your career is over, which was a pleasant surprise. The other thing is, if you work with integrity and have passion for what you’re doing, people will back you again.

Alejandro Cremades: I agree. Europe is changing, though. In Europe, people point at you when you fail, whereas in the U.S., they clap and encourage you to get back on the horse. Thankfully, that mindset is shifting.

Henrik Werdelin: It’s definitely changing. We’re seeing real entrepreneurs like Niklas Zennström (Skype) and Ian Hogarth (Songkick) paving the way in Europe. It’s exciting, but we’re still a little behind.

Alejandro Cremades: Speaking of entrepreneurs-turned-VCs, you eventually went to Index Ventures as an Entrepreneur in Residence. For listeners who may not know, these programs allow you to help with various things while also building something the firm might invest in. What perspective did being on the other side of the table give you?

Henrik Werdelin: It takes some time to get used to being inside a VC firm. At Index, it was a small partnership back then, just a group of people meeting on Mondays to discuss deals. One thing I realized is that I’m not cut out for making commentary—I’m meant to be on the operational side, building things. That’s what I’m good at and what I enjoy.

At Index, I learned a lot and am very grateful for my time there, but it solidified that I’m meant to be a builder.

Henrik Werdelin: …about who you spend time with. And finally, fun—because if you don’t make space for that, everything else just becomes a grind. The “+1” is the meta-layer, which I call “system design.” It’s where I regularly review all these eight areas to check if I’m allocating my time properly or if I’m out of balance. This framework helps me stay intentional and ensures I’m putting effort into things that matter to me both personally and professionally.

Alejandro Cremades: That’s amazing. It’s almost like having a dashboard for your life. Do you ever feel like one area tries to take over and dominate the others?

Henrik Werdelin: Absolutely. That’s part of why I revisit it so often—because life pulls you in different directions. If I’m launching a business, for example, the “transact” and “invest” boxes might take up too much time, and I have to consciously pull back to make space for my health, family, or learning. It’s not perfect, but the point is to have a system that makes me aware of where I’m neglecting things so I can recalibrate before things get out of hand.

Alejandro Cremades: I love that. Now, shifting gears a bit—Bark, your company, is so fascinating because it has such a unique niche. What inspired you to launch a business centered around pets?

Henrik Werdelin: It started with a very simple insight: people love their dogs, but the experience of buying products for them was outdated and uninspiring. My co-founders and I saw this huge opportunity to bring more delight into the lives of pet parents. And we wanted to create a brand that wasn’t just about products but also about building a community and a lifestyle. Dogs have this incredible ability to bring joy to people, and we wanted Bark to reflect that same energy.

Alejandro Cremades: That’s so true. And Bark has really grown into an empire—from subscription boxes to toys and treats. What do you think has been the key to sustaining that growth over the years?

Henrik Werdelin: I think it boils down to staying obsessed with the customer. We’re constantly asking ourselves: What does the dog—and the dog parent—want? How can we make their lives better? That customer-first mindset drives everything we do, from product design to how we handle customer service. And I think being playful and experimental as a company has helped too. We’re not afraid to try new things and take risks. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t, but we’re always learning.

Alejandro Cremades: Speaking of learning, what’s next for you? Are there any new ventures or projects on the horizon?

Henrik Werdelin: I’m always tinkering with new ideas—it’s in my DNA. Right now, I’m focused on continuing to grow Bark and making sure it evolves with the needs of our customers. But I’m also passionate about helping other founders. Through Prehype and other platforms, I want to keep mentoring and supporting people who are building the next wave of great companies. Beyond that, I’m exploring ways to combine my love for entrepreneurship with making a positive impact on the world. It’s an exciting time, and I’m always curious about what’s around the corner.

Henrik Werdelin: Right. I operate under that philosophy. When I build something new, I start by asking: who is a customer I’d like to serve, and what is a problem they have? Those are the nucleus of how I operate. I think many people come up with an idea first and then figure out how to make it work. I, however, go customer and problem first.

Henrik Werdelin: From there, I experiment with different ideas. For example, when Matt Cali and I wanted to create BarkBox, I built the first version of the website over a weekend. Then, we asked ourselves, “Does anyone think this is a good idea?” We went to a dog park and asked people, “Hey, what do you think about this?” Many responded positively, saying, “That’s really cool; it solves a problem for me. Sign me up when you’re ready.” We told them, “We have Square on our phones—you can pay $25 now, and we’re in business.” By the end, we had about 70 customers before we even had a product or infrastructure in place.

Henrik Werdelin: I mention this because, at least for me, I need external energy to help me commit. That energy can come from external validation from customers or identifying a problem that I find incredibly meaningful, either for myself or someone I care about. I always juggle multiple concepts at the same time, following the strongest signal rather than deciding upfront, “This is the only thing I’m going to do until I either succeed or fail.”

Alejandro Cremades: Most people focus on product-market fit, but it sounds like you’re emphasizing more on customer-founder fit. Can you elaborate on that?

Henrik Werdelin: Exactly. It comes down to the different schools of thought in entrepreneurship. I’m not saying other approaches are wrong, but for me, it’s always been about understanding who I want to serve and what their problem is.

Henrik Werdelin: Once I identify that, I build multiple products and services for that specific user group. I call this “relationship capital” or “customer-founder fit.” For instance, with Bark, we wanted to help people who love dogs make their dogs happy. After finding success with BarkBox, we didn’t pivot to creating a cat box because our business wasn’t about just putting stuff in boxes and shipping them. It was about understanding our customers and solving their problems. We’ve since expanded to airlines, food, treats, and other services within that category.

Henrik Werdelin: Similarly, with Ro, we focused on people with embarrassing medical problems. The first product addressed ED, which is tough for many men to talk about. We built a solution for that and have since expanded to hair loss, weight loss, and more. Managed by Q focused on office managers, and we created multiple products and services for them. My approach is always customer-first: I reframe the problem, test it, and determine how many products and services I can build to address it.

Alejandro Cremades: I love that. Now, once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur, as they say. Your next idea, your next “baby,” was Others. Can you tell us about it? What is Others all about?

Henrik Werdelin: Others is a platform designed to democratize entrepreneurship. If you ask Americans, about 60% say they have an idea for a startup, but only 8-10% actually act on it. There are many reasons for this: lack of access to resources, know-how, and other barriers. We believe AI can bridge these gaps.

Henrik Werdelin: If you have a deep understanding of a specific customer group and an authentic relationship with them, AI can handle traditionally difficult tasks like customer interviews, product development, and financing. Our goal is to launch a million companies over the next 10 years, similar to how YouTube empowered storytellers, Shopify enabled e-tailers, and Airbnb supported hosts.

Alejandro Cremades: That’s incredible. Let’s imagine you go to sleep tonight and wake up in a world where Others’ vision is fully realized. What does that world look like?

Henrik Werdelin: I believe entrepreneurship is becoming an essential skill, especially as AI makes certain jobs redundant. People need new ways to stay relevant—not just to earn money but also for self-fulfillment. There are endless problems in the world, and entrepreneurs are great at finding scalable solutions.

Henrik Werdelin: If we can increase the percentage of aspiring entrepreneurs who take action from 10% to 20%, I believe we can solve significant problems for both individuals and the world.

Alejandro Cremades: I love that. Now, let’s take a trip back in time. Imagine I put you in a time machine and bring you back to the late ’90s, when you were getting started at MTV and observing the entrepreneurial world from the sidelines. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be and why?

Henrik Werdelin: I would tell myself not to take everything so seriously. When I was at Index, I spent a lot of time having lunch with people I admired, like Reid Hoffman. He once told me, “If you’re smart and start a company, you have a 1-in-5 chance of success. You better hope it’s not your first attempt or your last.”

Henrik Werdelin: Given that each attempt might take 3-5 years, you’re looking at a long journey. I’d advise my younger self to embrace that journey, not work with less intensity but approach it with more playfulness. In hindsight, I often neglected my body and soul during those early years, staying up all night and ignoring self-care.

Henrik Werdelin: Richard Branson once said, “If you had one piece of advice for entrepreneurs, what would it be?” His answer was, “Go to the gym.” Looking back, I think that’s wise. Success involves hard work and luck, but you need to ensure you’re not a broken person by the time you reach the finish line.

Alejandro Cremades: I love that. For our listeners who want to reach out and say hi, what’s the best way to connect?

Henrik Werdelin: I spend a lot of time writing on LinkedIn, and I also have a Substack. I’m active on most platforms and encourage people to reach out.

Alejandro Cremades: Amazing. Henrik, thank you so much for being on The Dealmakers Show today. It’s been an absolute honor.

Henrik Werdelin: Thank you for having me.

*****

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