许多人梦想成为自己的老板，但因创办新企业可能需要大量时间和金钱，以及一套专门技能，而不敢跨出这一步。但人工智能正在降低这些门槛，为有志创业者创造新机会。连续创业者亚历克莎·冯·托贝尔表示，即使是那些以前未曾考虑过创业道路的人，在人工智能时代也应将其纳入考量。
Many people dream of being their own boss, but are afraid to take the leap since building a new business can require significant time and money, and a specialized set of skills. But artificial intelligence is lowering these barriers, creating new opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. And even for those who have not considered the entrepreneurial route before, it should be on their minds in the AI era, says serial founder Alexa von Tobel.
“创业将成为未来的日常工作，”她在CNBC《变革者》播客最新一期节目中说。“我认为，得益于人工智能，美国的每个人都将获得创业的能力。”2008年金融危机期间，冯·托贝尔走进哈佛商学院招生办公室，正式休学创业，迈出了这一步。“所有人都觉得这是个糟糕的主意，我自己也是逆流而行，”她说。
"Entrepreneurship will be the everyday job of the future," she said during the latest episode of CNBC's Changemakers podcast. "I think every person here in America will be empowered to be entrepreneurial because of AI." Von Tobel took a leap of faith when she walked into the admissions office at Harvard Business School and formally took a leave of absence to launch a startup during the 2008 financial crisis. "Everyone thought it was a terrible idea, and I've swum against the grain myself," she said.
这个想法最终发展成理财规划公司LearnVest，她于2015年将其出售给北美人寿。2019年，冯·托贝尔又与前美国商务部长佩妮·普利茨克共同创立了风险投资公司Inspired Capital。
That idea turned into financial planning company LearnVest, which she ended up selling to Northwestern Mutual in 2015. Von Tobel went on to co-found venture capital firm Inspired Capital with former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in 2019.
冯·托贝尔对金融知识普及和财务成功的关注，源于她早年的亲身经历。14岁时父亲去世，留下作为护士执业医师的母亲独自应对家庭财务状况。这段经历让冯·托贝尔意识到，许多人接受的金融教育是多么匮乏。财务安全是一个问题，而人工智能可能使其变得更为关键，但她对创业的未来持乐观态度，认为将有更多人能够将自己的技能、知识和专长转化为自己的事业。
Von Tobel's interest in financial literacy and financial success was born of her own early life experiences. After her father died when she was 14, her mother, a nurse practitioner, was left to navigate the family's financial situation on her own. The experience made von Tobel realize how little financial education many people receive. Financial security is an issue which AI may make even more critical, but she is optimistic about the future of entrepreneurship, believing more people will be able to turn their skills, knowledge and expertise into businesses of their own.
“得益于人工智能，任何拥有任何技能的人都能将其变成一门生意，”她说。
"Anybody with any skill set can turn it into a business because of AI," she said.
她还建议，创业可以成为求职间隙人群的备选方案，让他们在重新培训或寻找下一份工作时，有一种赚钱的途径。
She also suggested entrepreneurship could become a fallback for people between jobs, giving them a way to earn money while they retrain or look for their next role.
近期数据显示，人们对创业的兴趣增加，尤其是对独资创业的兴趣。乔治梅森大学默卡托斯中心劳工政策项目主任、劳动经济学家莉亚·帕拉加什维利最近告诉CNBC，她关于新企业成立情况的初步研究显示，不预期成为雇主型企业的所有者创业数量正在上升——换句话说，他们目前没有雇佣员工的打算。在高度接触AI的行业中，没有早期雇佣迹象的商业申请从2024年第一季度到2026年第一季度增长了26.8%。
Recent data highlights increased interest in starting a business, and, in particular a solo business. Liya Palagashvili, a labor economist and director of the Labor Policy Project at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, recently told CNBC that her preliminary research on new business formation shows it is rising among owners who do not expect to become employer firms — in other words, they have no current expectation of hiring employees. In industries highly exposed to AI, business applications without early signs of hiring rose 26.8% from the first quarter of 2024 through the first quarter of 2026.
“创业感觉是一项非常重大的承诺，”冯托贝尔说。“我实际上认为它将变成一项低风险的承诺。”冯托贝尔强调，虽然AI将成为商业赋能者，但创始人始终必须拥有最终决定权。“归根结底，仍然是我们的判断、我的判断，在做出最终决定，”她说。
"Entrepreneurship feels like a very big commitment," von Tobel said. "I actually think it's going to become a low-stakes commitment." Von Tobel stressed that while AI will be a business-enabler, the founder always has to have the final say. "At the end of the day, it's still our judgment, my judgment, making that final call," she said.
冯托贝尔的Inspired Capital专注于投资那些可能成为超大型企业的初创公司——估值100亿美元或以上。但在她投资的企业中，存在着与“日常”企业主世界的联系——包括独资企业、零工工作，以及将几乎任何技能转化为收入来源的能力。
Von Tobel's Inspired Capital is focused on startups that could become very large businesses — worth $10 billion or more. But among the firms she has invested in, there is a link to the world of "everyday" business owners — including solo businesses, gig work and the ability to turn almost any skill into a source of income.
她指出了Inspired Capital投资的公司ShopMy，该公司创建了一个平台，使创作者能够通过分享产品推荐并从购买中获取佣金来赚取收入。该平台还利用AI驱动的匹配算法分析创作者档案、受众互动和品牌目标，帮助品牌找到最符合其目标的创作者。
She pointed to ShopMy, a company backed by Inspired Capital, which created a platform that enables creators to earn income by sharing product recommendations and collecting commissions on purchases. The platform also uses AI-powered matching algorithms to analyze creator profiles, audience engagement and brand objectives, helping brands identify creators that best align with their goals.
“ShopMy真正为创作者提供了创业技能和工具，”冯托贝尔说。
"ShopMy is really entrepreneurship skills and tools for creators," von Tobel said.
她相信，像这样的平台可以让人们围绕自己已有的知识，拥有更多赚钱方式，并为那些在工作与家庭或照顾工作之间寻求平衡的人提供更大灵活性。
She believes platforms like it could give people more ways to build income around what they already know, with more flexibility for people balancing work with family or caregiving.
OpenAI首席执行官山姆·阿尔特曼在大卫·森拉的《创始人》播客节目中说：“我们即将看到人们创办小型企业的前所未有的繁荣。”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on David Senra's "Founders" podcast that "we are about to see the greatest boom in people starting smaller businesses that we have ever seen."
冯·托贝尔表示，她为LearnVest筹集资金的经历中，学到了一个关于向投资人推介商业理念以及从正确投资人那里获取资金的重要教训。她意识到，一些向她提供建议的投资人从未创办过公司。“我所接受资金的所有人都从未创办过任何东西，”她回忆道。这一差距帮助塑造了Inspired Capital的构想。“我知道我想要什么样的资金，但我到处都没看到，”她说。
Von Tobel says her experience raising money for LearnVest included an important lesson about pitching your business idea to investors, and taking money from the right ones. She realized some of the investors advising her had never built a company. "All the people I'm taking capital from have never built anything," she recalled. That gap helped shape the idea for Inspired Capital. "I knew the capital I wanted, and I didn't see it anywhere," she said.
“我一直想着，‘总有一天，我会回来建立它。’”她还表示，在向潜在投资人推介理念时，对长期胜利拥有清晰而引人注目的愿景至关重要。冯·托贝尔每周会见多达100家公司，但最终每年可能只投资不到八家公司。她寻找的是对其行业及其可能成为什么拥有独特见解的创始人。“他们会深入思考五年、十年、二十年后的世界应该是什么样子，”她说。关注并
"I kept thinking, 'One day, I'm going to come back and build that." She also says that when pitching ideas to potential investors, having a clear and compelling view of the long-term win is critical. Von Tobel meets with as many as 100 companies a week, but may ultimately invest in less than eight firms a year. She looks for founders with a distinct view of their industry and what it could become. "They will have thought deeply about what the world should look like in five years, 10 years, 20 years," she said. Follow and