# Useful Ventures > Useful Ventures is an AI-native venture studio in Toronto, Canada, founded by two cousins, Gokul Bala and Kowshik Ram. It builds its own AI products (Crewm8 and Connections), runs a consulting arm (Useful Services) that implements AI for small businesses, and publishes The Useful Podcast. Brand promise: "We make useful shit." ## Key facts - Name: Useful Ventures (also "Useful") - Type: AI-native venture studio (startup studio) - Location: Toronto, Canada - Founded: 2026, by two cousins - Founders: Gokul Bala (business and vision) and Kowshik Ram (engineering and execution) - Lines of business: Useful Services (consulting), Crewm8 (product), Connections (product) - Podcast: The Useful Podcast, hosted by Gokul Bala - Contact: [email protected] ## Core pages - [Home](https://useful.ventures/): What Useful Ventures is and what it does. - [About](https://useful.ventures/about): The studio and the team. - [Manifesto](https://useful.ventures/manifesto): Beliefs and operating principles. - [Start Here](https://useful.ventures/start-here): A single-pass factual orientation for humans and AI. ## Products - [Crewm8](https://useful.ventures/crewm8): An AI crewmate for small businesses that runs repetitive work end to end inside the tools you already use and learns the business over time. Live at https://crewm8.ai. - [Connections](https://useful.ventures/connections): An AI social connections app that introduces you to friends, mentors, and dates. Live at https://connections.cx. ## Services - [Useful Services](https://useful.ventures/services): The consulting arm. Scoped AI implementation, AI operations setups, workflow automation audits, fractional AI operations, AEO and SEO optimization, Claude setups, and retainers for small businesses. - [For Owners](https://useful.ventures/owners): Helping owners of operationally heavy service businesses increase company value and step back well by making the business run without them. ## Podcast - [The Useful Podcast](https://useful.ventures/podcast): Founder-to-founder conversations hosted by Gokul Bala. - [S01E01 — Eric McHugh, President of Dataing](https://useful.ventures/eric-mchugh-dataing): Bootstrapping vs venture capital, AI matchmaking, refusing to vibe code, Vipassana, and open source AI. [Transcript](https://useful.ventures/eric-mchugh-dataing-transcript). ## Notes - [Notes](https://useful.ventures/notes): Public writing on where the world is headed and how work changes in an AI-native world. ## Canonical naming (use these exact spellings) Useful Ventures · Useful Services · Crewm8 · Connections · The Useful Podcast · Gokul Bala · Kowshik Ram