In this episode, Devin McNulty, founder of Funmentum Labs and creator of Funware, joins us to explore what happens when you treat fun not as fluff—but as a powerful lever for doing serious work.
After 15 years of leading high-stakes strategy and innovation workshops for Fortune 500 teams, Devin set out to scale his approach. The result: Funware, an AI-powered facilitation tool that helps hybrid teams run faster, more creative workshops—without needing a pro facilitator in the room. He shares how it works: from AI that rephrases vague challenges into crisp prompts, to bots that throw out just-bad-enough ideas to unlock new thinking.
We dive into the deep end of design choices—why Devin treats AI like a co-facilitator, not a thought partner, and how he builds in levity and timing to shift posture in skeptical rooms. He talks about “pre-training” AI the same way you’d brief a human teammate, and what it means to productize your own facilitation brain.
The conversation is also a blueprint for AI-first entrepreneurship: how to turn creative intuition into software, how to build with (and not for) users, and how to design tools that spark real interaction—not just outputs.
Whether you're leading workshops, building internal tools, or trying to make your team more idea-generative, this episode is packed with insights on creative AI, team dynamics, and the future of facilitation.
Key Takeaways:
- Fun Is a Strategic Tool—Not a Distraction – Devin challenges the assumption that “fun” and “serious work” are at odds. His facilitation method uses play to unlock alignment, compress timelines, and spark better ideas—especially in rooms that normally resist creative approaches.
- AI Can Facilitate, Not Just Assist – Most teams use AI as a solo tool or sidekick. Devin flips the script—designing AI to act like a group facilitator. Funware injects prompts, rephrases challenges, and even drops well-timed bad ideas to shift group dynamics and drive progress.
- Pre-training Your AI Is Like Prepping a Human Teammate – One of Devin’s biggest insights: treat your AI agents like collaborators. Build them with clear intent, layer in prompting strategy, and fine-tune them for the moment they’ll be used—just like you’d brief a co-facilitator before a workshop.
- Productizing Yourself Is the New Playbook – Devin’s journey is a case study in AI-first entrepreneurship—turning deep craft into software. His advice? Start with your workflow, atomize it into repeatable components, and build tools that deliver value with the push of a button.
Website: Funmentum™ Labs
LinkedIn: Devin McNulty | LinkedIn
00:00 Intro to Funmentum Labs & Funware
00:38 Why Fun Is a Powerful Work Strategy
01:41 Overcoming Skepticism in Serious Workplaces
02:27 Techniques to Engage Resistant Teams
06:32 Can AI Be Funny? Humor in Corporate Settings
08:03 How Funware Uses AI to Drive Group Creativity
11:43 Automating Workshops with AI-Powered Prompts
14:04 Devin’s Path from Facilitator to AI Builder
16:21 Advanced Prompting Techniques in Funware
28:34 Creative Prompting: Logos, Personas & Play
30:04 Exercises to Push Beyond Obvious Ideas
31:35 How AI Unlocks Group Innovation
36:55 Pre-Training AI for Better Collaboration
43:35 Using AI as Muse, Challenger & Focuser
48:46 Final Thoughts
📜 Read the transcript for this episode: Transcript of Prompting for Originality: How Devin McNulty Is AI-Enabling His Workshop Business |
For more prompts, tips, and AI tools. Check out our website: https://www.beyondtheprompt.ai/ or follow Jeremy or Henrik on Linkedin:
Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/werdelin
Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyutley
Show edited by Emma Cecilie Jensen.
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