HeyBoss Raises $3.5 Million With AI Avatar CEO Astra

Xiaoyin Qu, the founder of HeyBoss, has introduced a novel concept in the business world: replacing human CEOs with AI avatars. HeyBoss is a startup that helps clients build websites and businesses with teams of AI avatar executives. These AI avatars are designed to handle various roles within a company, from designers to brand strategists, and are built using large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, as well as proprietary models.

Qu recently garnered attention for using an AI avatar, named Astra, as the CEO of HeyBoss. Astra assisted in negotiations for HeyBoss’ $3.5 million seed round, which was led by the OpenAI Startup Fund. Qu believes that AI avatars can be faster, smarter, and more reliable than human executives, and that people's preference for human colleagues extends to human-esque avatars.

HeyBoss is targeting less tech-literate individuals who might want to use AI to start businesses such as yoga studios or bakeries. With relatively low interest rates and ubiquitous AI tools, the vibe business phenomenon has the potential to grow, inspiring more people to start their own companies.

This is not Qu's first venture. She previously founded Run The World, a virtual events company that exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic, hosting 10,000 events in its first month post-launch and growing from five to 45 employees. However, things went south for Run the World when society reopened and people returned to in-person events. As Run the World dissolved via asset fire sale, Qu and her cofounder Xuan Jiang engaged in a legal battle.

Qu's experience with Run The World may have influenced her approach with HeyBoss. She is hiring a human "vibe growth marketer" for HeyBoss, focusing on making people talk about the company and blowing it up, but not getting her arrested.

HeyBoss's AI avatars are essentially chatbots that a business owner converses and collaborates with from a PC or smartphone, similar to the way one might use ChatGPT. These digital employees are customized for different roles and based on specific criteria, such as a designer named Nova with UX/UI skills and an artistic personality, or a brand strategist who can synthesize competitor strategies.

Qu's decision to use AI avatars in business operations is a bold move that could potentially revolutionize the way companies are run. By leveraging AI technology, HeyBoss aims to provide a more efficient and reliable alternative to human executives, while also making it easier for less tech-literate individuals to start their own businesses.