At the heart of an industrial revolution is an innovation that changes everything. Building AI Boston sees artificial intelligence as a renaissance. From the heart of innovation and the mecca of tech learning, we bring you AI for real people. A conversation for everyone. Karen Kelly has been a catalyst for change across the healthcare, marketing, media and technology sectors. She's fueled by three core values, innovation, connection and compassion. She's a three-time founder with executive roles in each and her businesses have been awarded as one of Boston's 50 on-fire startups, featured in Ad Age and the Boston Business Journal. She's a prominent voice in disrupting the digital marketing industry and a regular at Startup Boston. Today we're going to talk about her current venture, Launch by Lunch, the first virtual no-code accelerator and how she uses AI to empower people. Welcome to the show, Karen Kelly. Thank you so much for having me. It's so great to reconnect with you ladies over AI once again. Yay, and thanks for reminding me. We met at Dr. Felicia Newhouse's AI-powered Women's Summit back in January. I got to tell you, I am not usually one for FOMO, but the minute I met you, I'm like, wow, she's a person I would hang out with. Now you and Kara get to do that on a regular basis. We're just waiting. I'm waiting to get that email. I've moved to Boston. You're very welcome here anytime. Well, I mean, I'm impressed by your career span and there's a lot of things in that 20-plus years, but let's start out with your own history. Were you into tech as a kid? Were you influenced by science fiction? No, I was into sports and I was into school, but it was different when I was a kid. I mean, I'm screwing up in the 80s and 90s. I mean, it was, you know, that was a job for big executives. Startups really weren't, they were nowhere near what they are now. And so this idea that you could kind of grow up and start a company in tech when you're, you know, 24, 28 or 32, really having no background in tech was just absolutely not something that anybody thought about then. No, I agree. And that's not what I didn't, I didn't hang out in that field or, I mean, I didn't, this is crazy, but I didn't take my first computer class till I was in college. My first computer class, I'm trying to think of what my first, I guess mine was probably college also. I took typing in high school. That was probably like, yeah, typing. Yeah. Okay, we just dated ourselves, but thank you for jumping in the pond with me. You're welcome. I just suck to hear that out loud, but that's okay. But let me, let me understand this arc for you because it's 20 years across the healthcare field, marketing, media and technology sectors. So, you have a startup. If I'm looking at this through line or an arc and what drives you, I'm going to say it's empowerment, but would you care to share anything about the why behind that? Why is that so fascinating to you? Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I think, you know, to kind of give a very brief synopsis of those 20 years really it's, you know, advertising was about storytelling and for me it was like brand empowerment and then felt like my soul was turning a little bit black. I decided to get a master's and I actually went to work with brain injury patients. And so I kind of went to the other side of the coin, but also communication connection empathy. Same, same ties that bind same things that got me excited, but now I was helping people recover from really serious brain injuries. So that's a whole other level of kind of fulfillment. And then I just happened to pick up a camera one day and started storytelling through the lens and realized, holy smokes, like we're in a connection crisis in our country and people don't spend enough time. Thinking about the people sitting next to them on the couch every day and build a whole business a seven figure business like within a year, really storytelling families and companies and weddings and really getting into like underneath the hood of why these relationships are so important to people before I ever picked up a lens. It was very experiential. In any case, all about empowering these people to really stand and be witness to each other. And then moving into tech, I was hired through that business. I was cajoled into joining a technology startup back in 2018 and that's actually how I made the bridge to tech because they saw me as this pretty amazing storyteller and they were having trouble telling their story. And so that's how I ended up moving into tech as a CMO and then president of that company. So, you know, really, for me, purposely social and launch by launch, you know, two very different companies, but they are all about empowering people to build the lives that they dreamed of, but maybe have never had the courage or know how to do. That's fantastic. And then we're going to get into both of those companies in a minute. So I have a real affinity with that story of jumping from one thing. The black and soul thing. I mean, I got into advertising in the 90s, which was not tech then. It was tear sheets in old school, right? But yeah. But gosh, we're dating ourselves today so much, but I really appreciate that journey because I think that the natural evolution for me is the curiosity of people. So incredible. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And storytelling is its oldest time, right? I mean, that's whether you're using new tech or not, it's like that's that's part of our story as humans, right? And Karen, when you were telling me about when we were at that event at MIT and you were talking about what purposely social does, I remember getting very, very excited about about the purpose of the tool. So I would love to hear more and also just thinking about this narrative and this connectivity that you have about social connections, I think is fascinating. So tell us about purposely social and what it's meant to do. Sure. So purposely social is a mobile app. You can download it now from the app store or Google Play. And this application is all about making it fast, easy and fun to reconnect with friends, neighbors and your community. So our MVP is really all about getting rid of the friction of trying to line up plans with groups of friends, right? They say the average group of four takes like 52 text messages over 12 days to make plans. So true. And that's if you don't fall down like the black hole text messages that die, right? Like text messages threads that die. So, so that's a real problem. And so when you use the application now, you can just select the friends you want to hang out with click match availability and boom, it'll surface the times when everybody's free without showing each other, you know, each other's calendars. Well, you know, we've really done it in a very data privacy centric fashion. And this, this product is company came out of when I left my last job in 2022. And the reason was because I for like a year and a half our school district just couldn't find space for my son in after school care. And as you can imagine, having a six year old come through the door every day at 215 is like impossible while you're trying to run a company. And I just sort of looked at like this situation and I was tearing my hair out and I just every day I was forced to make a decision. Do I be the parent he needs me to be or do I be an executive to this company. And so I just said like being a parent is what that is more important. And so I made the choice. And I, and I resigned but when I did I got up the next day and I said I'm fixing this problem. And I went on Facebook and I went into the moms groups and I just said who doesn't have after school care send me an email and fixing this. And the next day I had 75 email addresses and so it was a wild story that then created this grassroots movement called parents for after school solutions. We, we essentially mapped out all the land assets for the town. We, you know, politics with all the parties we needed to in town but launched two new programs in seven months right here in Wayland. It's a really wild story of how I spent my time off. But but the net net of all this is that when I went back and looked at why this problem existed to begin with. Why are we all suffering in silence alone in our homes, right. Because we're all so down, busy running into out of Boston, you know, fueling our careers, being parents being wives being sisters doing all the things we need to do. And you know, we just, we weren't connecting on it and so I kind of really set about to study what has caused this sort of atomization of our lives and the dissolution of community. You know, it's been happening for 50 years for various reasons but really now, you know, there's so many reasons why you don't have to leave your house every day. Whether you, you know, work from home, you can order things, you know, and it's, it's really convenient in a lot of ways but it's also caused a lot of like pulling apart of our community threads. And so the number one question I got back when I went back to the 600 parents who I now just got an afterschool care for their children willing to do me a few favors, leave all the survey please. And the number one answer I got about why this problem exists, why aren't we spending time together was logistics, which is why our MAP covers this idea around like instant calendar matching. But then the second answer I got to that question was really, you know, anxiety, brain space overwhelm. And so really, obviously that's a tougher problem to solve and it's more nuanced but really that's where AI comes in and that's kind of where we're going with things next in terms of thinking about, you know, how AI can jump in and say, Hey, Cara, you know, you're down on your steps this week, you know, you and Karen walked together last Friday at noon, you're both free this Friday at two, do you want us to go ahead and just ask her if she wants to go for a walk. We'll take care of you. Please. Right. I know. I'm like, so and we're not like far away from that at all. So, so, so yeah, that's how that's how kind of purpose and social came to be and thinking about community empowerment. I love that. And you know, there's like something you didn't mention, but there's this feeling of like guilt or shame as a mom when you're like, Oh, everybody else has it completely together and they're they managed to, you know, juggle all 50,000 parts of their lives and what's wrong with me. I can't. I mean, maybe I'm telling you how I feel, but like I always feel like I'm dropping a ball somewhere. So anything and with AI in particular, how it can help us sort of let go of some of that guilt or shame that we don't have it perfectly is just magical. I think I think that's such a great point. And I think that's actually probably are under the hood as well as like, why is this happening? It's because like, nobody wants to look like the parent who doesn't have it together. We all have that one friend, you know, who's just like always in line, but the rest of us are like trailing in their wake, you know. So I think that's a really good point about about the shame. I think that's the opposite shame. I was one of those people that classically under scheduled my kid and everybody else had like five different activities for the week and I'm like, I give it. So I like to have nothing to do. So it's really interesting and you're really hitting a systemic problem and I'm it's interesting that it's happening here it's happening everywhere because we all blame COVID. But it was happening before that I met my group of park moms in the park. We exercised our two year olds ran around under our feet and then they were friends for life. And then at some point it started falling off and I blamed it on, well, everybody's got these after school activities and I just didn't want to admit I got nothing going on. I like nothing. So I like your approach this anonymous look at the calendar that doesn't have to say in a group text, which I agree as a disaster. Don't try to plan anything in a group text friends. It's just the least efficient way to do it. But if AI is kind of peeking over our shoulder and giving us prompts, I love the idea that I don't have to say, Hey, I'm the slacker mom that's got nothing going on. And everybody else where do you fit in in fit in my life because I think I think shame in whatever direction is a huge hurdle to overcome. Right. Yeah, could not agree with you more. And I think like in the same way that shame can be a hurdle. There's tremendous power in looking like you're two steps ahead of the game so conversely to be able to use AI to and you're and by the way it's there's also this notion that we've done a bunch of research on like people love to help each other love to help their friends love to help community so we're also kind of like nudging into that space of like, Hey, you know, you know, Cara would could looks like she could maybe use a lift like, you know, would you like to like send her a text or, you know, there's different ways that we're like kind of designing around being able to like, give some hints without giving too much about people who are in your inner circle. Interesting. Oh, I love the way that robots can make us better humans but okay, I'm gonna, I'm going to unpack the next facet of your professional world which is launch by launch everything on congratulations on your social media because it's got me so curious. When I figured out that launch by launch was really this AI powered system that can help people with something called vibes coding. I'm in a full out ask the dumb question tell us what is vibes coding because I even embarrassed that I don't know what that is so help me help me feel smarter today Karen. It's really simple. vibe coding is just using AI tools typically it's AI prototyping tools to build new products. And instead of having to work through API, or build in a traditional manner with ones and zeros. This is really about how do we use AI to connect the different parts that we need to connect to create a product that's usable and revenue generating. So if you can use chat GBT you can literally build a business in that same kind of way. Well chat GBT is an LLM which is a large language model meaning that it's very good at doing like research for you and aggregating information and doing analysis and then you know there's different levels of things that they've put out like their deep research level. There's three there's a four without getting too complicated they all sort of specialize in different areas but that's more about analysis and data gathering. As opposed to an AI prototyping tool meaning I can go into this tool and I can say, I want to build an app that helps me track my habits every day, and it will actually take a few minutes and build an application with clickable buttons and pages and, you know, faux data sets if you want to fill it with that. That is like the first step of a working prototype but it looks like what you would see on your phone. Wow. Okay, my mind is reeling. Okay, so let's put Anna on the spot Anna. Oh, we love it. We love you Anna. So Anna has a AI show but you know she probably would would admit to the listeners that you know, maybe not a super techie. So are you are you saying Karen that Anna could conceivably have an idea of something she'd like to solve. We were just talking about her tortoise earlier and her tortoise, the different kinds of food that her tortoise likes to eat and the different moods he'll get into if he has watermelon versus kale versus. So, like so she could say she wants to build the little silly she wants to build some kind of app that will help her make sure her tortoise is getting a variety of food she could just go into this vibe coding environment and create something that would help her keep her tortoise in his happiest mood. Sure, and she could start reporting in like the different effects of the different foods and then, you know, absolutely there's like endless possibilities there. Yes, we can make that an hour. Okay, so Anna I think you need to build this app. Okay, I've got a few other ideas but you know that one's practical I can appreciate that one. Yes, you know, that would be good. But that that's interesting because it really changes then who is allowed to be in tech. You hit the nail on the head, Kara. And I think for me that's part of the reason why when this idea came came to kind of me and and my fractional CTO at the time Stephen Smith. That's the biggest motivator for me right if we go back to empowerment and we get back to kind of cutting the red tape. That's what I do I'm a red tape cutter and it doesn't matter what industry it is and from for me for this, you know, I've spent almost a decade now in tech and my previous startup. You know, we were at every startup before 2025, you're really you're you're beholden to a team of developers that you know you sort of lack clarity on timelines and costs and, you know, I think for me most recently building out obviously social is our initial build on it. You know, as a non technical founder, you don't know enough to be able to push back on dates and times and what's needed and and it's, you know, the amount of money. This is also a very old story, the amount of money and time and resources and I will also say like mental health impacts of doing that on your own very little funding, most of which is your bootstrapping correct because it's your MVP is harrowing. And that for me is not an exaggeration. And I even still laugh when I say this but when I started vibe coding, I started sleeping better. I love that. Because if you think that that makes a lot of sense because right now we're living in an environment where there just feels like there's so many problems that are not solvable. You know, if the idea that AI this approach to AI can help people with good ideas come to a solution more quickly like that's that's a really amazing benefit for everyone. Right. Oh yeah. And Cara you've had this experience but you know you you're married to a coder so you had a great idea you guys are AI founders, but the amount of work that's gone into building describe is incredible I would never think to do that. And yet, I'm a step for step with you about the justice system right so but it's like it's really narrowing that, you know, possibility that playing field and how are vcs responding to this because that now it's like the whole thing is disrupted right. I think that's a great question. I have a few of them last week, and I got, I was sort of surprised by some of the feedback I think some of them are also feeling completely overwhelmed by the topic and the tools and haven't perhaps again as much as they maybe could or should. Some of them also correctly identify that there are probably some bad investments being made right now in tools that just aren't defensible enough because the downside of vibe coding is that if you can vibe coded by lunch you know someone else can too. And so the effect of that is that you need to be able to think through a really effective strategy for your product around moats right moats being the things that protect your company from being copied. And so some of those things can be commute, you know, big robust connected communities. They can be really big partnerships. You know, there's a lot of different ways to think about it but that is to me, the biggest thing that I see for the forward thinking vcs thinking about is okay how do we think about this is this is a prototype that's working it's generating monthly revenue. How do we protect it. So, so I think that that's a piece and I, one of the things though I also want to say about fundraising. That's changing right now is we won't have to go after those early rounds anymore where we're trying to raise, you know, 250 500 even 750 because we can build one of these tools for 50 $100 a month. We can build it in a few weeks and we are like it's like Liberation Day for you know non technical visionaries and so that is also like I think like a lot of vcs aren't quite prepared for that yet, but it's a it's, it's huge on the empowerment checklist and I think that that's really going to change over the next two years. It's things are going to change in a way like venture capitals we know what I think is actually going to holistically change you're not going to see the same equity grabs you're not going to see the same fundraising amounts it's, it's going to be really different and it's it's, I'm excited about it. Yeah, and we have an upcoming episode with an expert in the field and and she's talked a lot about the traditional models of VC and, and how it's measured over time against different, you know, tech bro companies will be honest it's it's going to be a very exciting thing to break down. Didn't mean to spring that one on you. I just enjoy the fact that you're a disruptor a trailblazer like let's go. Everybody keep up, you know. Yeah. It's funny I don't know if you've ever used this this tool it's called crystal nose. It's like the very first AI tool I ever use it's a it's a chrome plugin for LinkedIn and they're probably five or six years old. And you know you can look at like eight or nine profiles on LinkedIn for free through it but what it does is it uses a eyes to provide you with a disk personality analysis of the person's LinkedIn profile, as well as like how to sell to them. Like it's not a nominal I don't get on a call without using it. Like, give them details or don't give them details like make it funny and tell personal story or absolutely stick to the facts like it's unbelievable. I highly recommend so in any case though and it's fun to look at your own profile also. And like one of the headlines for me is likes to find ways around the rules so there you are. That's good. We need more of that in this world. I think it's such a crazy name crystal nose I'm like what in the world it's almost like a truffle pig right it's giving you like a real with of the good stuff I don't know what that name came from but it's very intriguing. Amazing. So one thing about vibe coding I'm interested in is how it opens the door to sort of non traditional founders like we all know that women get like nothing from the VCs basically so what do you think about that about how can maybe change what a entrepreneur looks like. I think that it will open up, not just in terms of who can build right you don't have to be part of that well connected. You know, typically boys club because let's face it that's what the numbers tell us. As you mentioned, you know, females tend to get about 1.8% of the VC funding annually each year. So it doesn't just change though the gender or the skin color of founders it actually changes what products are going to get made. Yeah, and I think that is so exciting. You know the visions of people who have very different brains than a traditional developer or prioritize very different things than a true then what a traditional VC, or even you know what the sort of community might support. I think is extremely exciting. And I think it's going to, you know, a lot of these industries that have lagged behind women's health and we start we're starting to see the rise now but I think like industries like that are going to get much much bigger quickly. You know you just reminded me of something I took a big break when I had my kiddo and I was fortunate to do that because I wanted to. But when I got back in the game and started going to business meetups, and they were the kind where people kind of share ideas and insights about and I had marketing background but I just realized people were leaning in for my advice and then I went, oh my gosh, I've suddenly become that demographic that everybody wants to tap you know this certain income bracket and this you know, mommy stuff and and I went, whoa, now I've got insights that are valuable. I think you've hit the nail on the head to with this idea that the products are going to change. And I think they're there. It's a lucrative sector, and I think it's a it's a renaissance and I think you've proven our point. And I want to encourage you to come back with anything and everything in sight to trends and things that are happening as a result of lunch by lunch. In fact, I'm going to throw this out there that I would love to take that challenge and go from like I wouldn't say I'm a Luddite. That's a terrible word. That's like the people that go sabotage technology because they just don't want to use it. And if you can really turn that around in my head like what's possible, I'm sort of encouraged that this is another jumping off point that I wouldn't mind taking so yeah. I love this. I'll jump into the deep end or the shallow end really with you. Yeah, I mean, and this is really like a big piece of what we're doing right now at lunch by lunch is is these cohort these small group cohorts where we just take people through week by week step them through building products. And a small community setting which is so important to I mean I think part of the real pain right now that we're addressing is that we're all trying to drink from this fire a fire hose right there's new products out constantly and it's like, okay I'm going to try and spend 20 minutes today and learn these three new tools like doing it alone. It's awful and so like I would say like AI is better with a friend you know so building out this community setting. You know in this note no codes planning space is really just something that we're very excited about so in any case I would love to love to take you up on this let's do it. Alright, let's do it live you just heard that listeners at home we're going to do this live I'm going to jump in the shallow end and my friend is going to give me water wings. Training meals. I love that and you know what ladies again kudos to Boston because I find that there's this really inclusive attitude when I went to Dr. Newhouse's meet up and met everyone, you know that couldn't be more friendly and inclusive and really wanting to see all boats rise that's that's something special about where you live yeah. Totally agree with that and I will say to the startup community in the two and a half weeks that launch by launch has been in existence and the two and a half cohorts we've already sold out the the start community has been extremely welcoming to us tech stars start up Boston women who venture they've all we've formulated partnerships with all of them already so it's really it is exciting and they are very willing to embrace kind of this new concept in this new maybe new vision of leadership. Well you're very shiny Karen I can't imagine anybody kind of trying to tune you out. I think the name. That doesn't. Social has a whole new meaning to me I think that what you're doing is incredible and empowerment is a big deal. Thank you for that. And for our listeners at home there is definitely a 2.0 you've heard that teaser right we are going to get down to business on air, and I don't care if I sink or swim I've got good friends here so thank you both for this conversation. Any last words Cara Karen take us out. Thanks so much for having me. If you're interested in learning more about launch by lunch come to our website we're running accelerators now it's launched by lunch dot co. Launch by lunch dot co and that's in real time for listeners on radio there is an event happening on Thursday this coming Thursday is that correct. Yeah we're actually launching our fourth cohort on Thursday so you move quick I might be able to get in that one before it fills up. Woohoo like and subscribe and check out our liner notes for more great tips and Karen please come back and fill us in because you are one to watch wow thank you anytime thanks for having me. Thank you for joining us on building a Boston stay tuned for more enlightening episodes that put you at the forefront of the conversations shaping our future.
