Eian Kennedy
Founder. Builder. Managing Partner of Relay 1.
I build AI-native companies from the founder seat and teach what I learn — in public, in essays, and on the job alongside the teams I co-found.
About
About Eian.
Founder & Managing Partner of Relay 1, building AI-native companies from day one.
I’m the Founder and Managing Partner of Relay 1, an AI-native venture studio co-founding companies from day one with AI in the stack. We don’t write checks and walk away. We sit at the founder seat and build alongside.
Two arms: the studio co-founds new companies, and Relay 1 Automations builds AI workflow automation for B2B sales companies and home services operators. I write about what I’m learning as I go.
Read my writingVentures
What I'm building.
Relay 1 is the parent. The studio co-founds new companies. Automations is the operating arm. Portfolio links below.
Relay 1
An AI-native venture studio. We co-found companies from the founder seat, with AI in the stack from the first commit.
relay1.vc
Relay 1 Automations
AI workflow automation for B2B sales companies and home services operators. Audits and builds.
relay1.vc/automations
Portfolio
Three co-founded companies across construction, fintech, and proptech. One operating, two in build, one open slot.
relay1.vc/portfolio
Audit requests are open. Portfolio announcements coming soon.
The backstory
I don’t consider myself a guru.
Before Relay 1, I built NineLine Roofing and several other companies, all operating inside the portfolio today. I served in the Army as a Cavalry Scout. I’m based in Austin.
I spend most of my time now building companies with AI and writing about what I’m learning in public. Long hours, real operators, no theater — and a willingness to publish what didn’t work alongside what did.
Writing
Building in public.
Essays on co-founding AI-native companies — what's working, what isn't, and how the playbook is changing in real time.
May 11, 2026 · 10 min
The Proving Phase
I run a venture studio in its proving phase. I have not written an investment check, and I am not writing one today. This is the model the studio is running on, how it scales, and the public commitment to the operating cadence underneath it.
Read essayMay 2, 2026 · 8 min
The Graveyard
Why Relay 1 publishes a public graveyard of every co-founded venture that gets sunset, before there is anything to put in it.
Read essayConnect
Best place to reach me is email.
I read everything. The studio is open to co-founders, operators, and audit requests for Relay 1 Automations.