Cofounder.AI Hires Ex-Google X Talent Chief AJ Thomas as COO

Cofounder.AI, a Los Angeles-based startup that sells AI tools aimed at small business owners and solo entrepreneurs, said on October 6, 2026 that AJ Thomas has been named chief operating officer, according to a company announcement distributed by PR Newswire.

Thomas will run partnerships and supervise finance, legal and human resources, reporting alongside chief executive Clarence Wooten. The two previously worked together at Google X, Alphabet's moonshot unit, where she held the global talent and people products role and Wooten served as an executive entrepreneur in residence. She also helped start Troublemaker Ventures, the holding company behind early-stage fund Good Trouble Ventures and advisory arm The Troublemaker Lab, and the release credits her with more than 15 years across venture capital, talent and company building.

The company said her initial focus will be expanding university and ecosystem partnerships to reach student and early-stage founders.

Cofounder.AI separately announced an alliance with Good Trouble Ventures under which current and future portfolio companies get a free one-year license to the platform, pitched as support for fundraising preparation, diligence and daily operations.

"Talent is evenly distributed, but support is not," Thomas said in the announcement. Kat Steinmetz, cofounder and general partner at Good Trouble Ventures, said capital alone does not build companies. No financial terms were disclosed.

This story was first reported by PR Newswire.