Seattle studio PSL is encrypting its own game rules for Leif, a co-founder of the artificial intelligence that helps turn ideas into companies.

23 hours agoLast Updated: October 30, 2025

1 9 minutes read

Seattle studio PSL is encrypting its own game rules for Leif, a co-founder of the artificial intelligence that helps turn ideas into companies.

By Taylor Soper | Published: 2025-10-27 16:09:00 | Source: GeekWire

(Live screenshot)

Pioneer Square Laboratories She has launched more than 40 tech startups and vetted more than 500 ideas since establishing her studio a decade ago in Seattle.

Now she’s testing whether her company-building experience and data on successful startup formulas can be turned into software, with the help of cutting-edge artificial intelligence models.

The PSL has just been unveiled fibera new venture that aims to be an “AI co-founder” for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Developed within PSL and now rolling out to the public, Lev can evaluate ideas, score their potential, and help founders develop them into companies.

LEAF grew out of an internal PSL tool that uses a proprietary PSL rubric to score startup ideas. The studio decided to turn it into a product after outside founders who had tested early versions wanted access to it themselves.

Here’s how it works:

Users begin by entering an idea (along with any associated information/background) and choosing “Project” or “Introduction.”
Leif guides founders through key milestones from solution to customer discovery, go-to-market, and product building.
It can create “assets” such as interview scripts, communication templates, competitive maps, pricing models, brand panels, customer personas, landing pages, leads, and even product specifications.

“We are drawing a lot of PSL operations into it,” he said. WhateverManaging Director of PSL.

Lev’s structured workflow sets it apart from generic chatbots, he said Shilpa KannanDirector at PSL.

“The sequencing of these components during the course of the process is one of the biggest value adds,” she said.

Lev joins A.J increase number to Start-ups Leveraging AI to serve as an idea validation tool for early-stage founders, though its nuanced approach makes it stand out.

1761864631 136 Seattle studio PSL is encrypting its own game rules for — Pioneer Square Labs Managing Director TA McCann (left) and Director Shilpa Kannan. (Polish pictures)

Upcoming features will add team building and fundraising modules and allow users to trigger actions — such as sending emails or purchasing domains — directly from within the platform.

McCann envisions Leaf will eventually connect to tools like Notion and HubSpot to serve as a “command center” for running the company — integrating tools, drafting investor updates, tracking competitors, and suggesting priorities. There are several Competitors In this space, different versions of the “Chief of Staff of Artificial Intelligence” products are presented.

On a broader level, Lev raises an existential question for PSL: What happens when a startup studio teaches AI to do the things that make a startup studio valuable?

“In some ways, this is the ‘innovators’ dilemma,’ and you have to untangle yourself before someone else does,” McCann said, referring to the Clayton Christensen dilemma. concept From technology disruption.

PSL also sees Lev as a potential funnel for entrepreneurs it can work with in the future. It’s a way to expand the studio’s scope beyond its focus on the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s expanding our knowledge in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise,” McCann said.

Kenan and Kevin LenwayPSL School Director, wrote A Blog post It describes how PSL designed the backbone of Lev and how the company generated its own ideas for startups in greater volume and at lower cost.

“As we see more and more individuals becoming AI-powered founders, we are very excited about the potential increase in speed and successful outcomes from methodologies like ours that focus on forward thinking and validation,” they wrote.

Kanaan told GeekWire that PSL prioritizes founders’ privacy and intellectual property. “We make intentional product and technical decisions to ensure Lev is designed from the ground up to protect founder ideas and data, including guardrails on the data we collect and our team has access to,” she said.

Currently, PSL targets venture-level founders – people at technology companies or accelerators who have ambitions to build fast-growing startups. But McCann believes LEAF could ultimately empower individual operators who run many small businesses.

Lev is currently available for free for one idea, $20 per month for up to five ideas, and $100 per month for 10 ideas and advanced features. It is available on a waiting list basis.

Lev also offers some fun tools to help boost its marketing, including the Founder “Personality test“and”Matches the idea“Which produces startup concepts based on your interests and experiences.

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