Founders & AI: How to Build an AI Startup That Big Tech Can’t Kill
Every AI founder’s nightmare: OpenAI or Anthropic ships a new feature in ChatGPT or Claude that wipes out your product overnight. Thin “AI wrapper” products built on top of large language models are easy to build, and just as easy to replace.
Investors know it too. Before anything else, VCs now ask one question: what is your AI startup’s moat? The answer lies in proprietary workflows, niche data, deep industry integration and the kind of trust that general-purpose AI struggles to earn. Get that right and AI becomes a lasting advantage. Get it wrong and your product becomes a free feature inside someone else’s platform.
What we’ll discuss
The AI wrapper trap: why products built on top of ChatGPT or Claude are easy to copy, and how to avoid becoming a feature in someone else’s platform
Where real moats come from today: proprietary data, workflows, deep industry integration and customer trust
Why trust, governance and verifiable AI win in regulated industries like fintech
Owning versus renting AI: when to fine-tune open-weight models and when to pay for an API
How investors now judge whether an AI startup is defensible
What attendees will take away
A practical framework for testing how defensible your AI product really is
Clear guidance on what to build in-house and what to buy or rent
Real lessons from founders building AI in finance and regulated markets
A chance to see live founder demos and hear direct feedback from the speakers
Time to ask questions and connect with other founders, operators and technologists building with AI in London
Join us for the second Founders & AI session, a founder-focused startup event in London at The Brew, Shoreditch (Old Street): a fireside chat featuring Cien Solon (Founder & CEO, LaunchLemonade), Ajit Barik (Founder & CEO, HyphenOne and Wyzr) and Anurag Jain (Founder, Digital Back Office and Dataflow). They will unpack the AI wrapper trap, how to build a defensible AI startup with proprietary moats, why verifiable AI wins in regulated industries like fintech, and when to fine-tune open-source models versus paying for an API.
Limited places. Register now. Seats are capped with limited founders only, to keep the conversation focused and personal. If you're building a business and ready to scale it with AI, grab this opportunity and secure your place before it fills up.
How to join Founder Demos
This time, we’ve set aside 10 minutes for live founder demos. If you’d like to show what you’re building, apply through the demo application form (Click to Open Demo Form). From the applications, we’ll select a few founders to demo on the night, and we’ll personally invite those selected so they have time to prepare.
Application deadline: Sunday, 22 November
Limited places. Register Now. Seats are capped to keep the conversation focused and personal. Free to attend. If you’re building with AI and want a business that lasts, secure your place before it fills up.
Date, Time and Schedule
Date: Thursday, 26 November 2026
Time: 17:30 to 20:00
Venue: The Brew Shoreditch, Eagle House, 163 City Road, London EC1V 1NR (https://share.google/PU1YqiVJeOK7yHnRy)
Run of Show
17:30 to 18:15 Registration, drinks, food and founder networking.
18:15 to 18:25 Welcome and quick introductions around the room.
18:25 to 19:10 Fireside chat with Cien Solon, Ajit Barik and Anurag Jain
19:10 to 19:20 Live founder demos, with feedback from the speakers.
19:20 to 19:40 Open Q&A focused on building a defensible AI product.
19:40 to 20:00 Curated founder networking.
About Speakers
Cien Solon, Founder & CEO, LaunchLemonade
No-code AI, product and startup growth
Cien is the Founder & CEO of LaunchLemonade, a London-based no-code platform that lets anyone build, deploy and monetise AI agents trained on their own data. Since launching in 2024, LaunchLemonade has grown to more than 6,000 users and closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round, now funding a marketplace where users can sell the agents they build.
Ajit Barik, Founder & CEO, HyphenOne and Wyzr
Fintech, product and trusted AI
Ajit is a London-based founder and former Deutsche Bank trader, building AI agents that can be trusted in finance. His company HyphenOne, part of Wyzr Fintech which he founded in 2020, builds verifiable, auditable AI for credit underwriting, due diligence and financial reporting for private credit, private equity and finance teams.
Anurag Jain, Founder, Digital Back Office & Dataflow
Engineering, cloud, data and applied AI
Anurag brings the technical lens: where real defensibility comes from in an AI product, when fine-tuning smaller open-weight models pays off, and what founders should understand before betting their engineering time on a platform they don’t control. With 25+ years in the industry, he has worked with startups and enterprises, and through Digital Back Office helps startups and scale-ups turn data into decisions, manual processes into intelligent automation, and AI ideas into measurable outcomes.
About Founders & AI
Founders & AI is a free, monthly startup event series in London for early-stage founders building in the AI era. Each session tackles one real decision founders face as they grow, from choosing the right AI tools and keeping costs down, to building a product that can’t be copied, winning customers and becoming investor-ready.
Held at The Brew in Shoreditch, the series brings together experienced founders, operators and technologists for honest, practical conversations about what has actually worked, what hasn’t, and the trade-offs behind each decision. Every session also gives founders the stage, with live demos of what they’re building and direct feedback from the speakers.
Frequently asked Questions (FAQs)
Who should attend? Pre-seed and seed founders, technical co-founders and product leads building with AI in London, and anyone worried about OpenAI or Anthropic copying their idea.
Is Founders & AI free? Yes, with food and drinks provided. Places are limited and registration is by approval.
When and where is it? Thursday 26 November, 5:30–8:00 PM, The Brew, Eagle House, 163 City Road, London EC1V 1NR, near Old Street.
How can I demo my startup? Apply through the demo form. Selected founders get a personal invite.
Will there be time to network? Yes, before and after the session.
How often does Founders & AI run? Monthly. Follow the Luma calendar to hear about each new session first.