By Rachel Jones. Picture: Fin Jones, left, Alfred Sommarstroem.
When Fin Jones and Alfred Sommarstroem were pupils at Wildern School in Southampton, neither could have imagined they would one day be building a technology company together. Today, the lifelong friends are co-founders of TaskPool, a startup with an ambitious mission: ensuring that people continue to benefit as artificial intelligence transforms the way we work.
While much of the conversation around AI focuses on automation, job losses, and machines replacing people, Jones and Sommarstroem are taking a different approach. Their vision is one where humans remain at the centre of the story.
“Our mission is to always put people first,” says Jones, and James Fealey, who is the Chief Technical Officer of the new platform.
TaskPool was born from a simple observation. As AI agents become increasingly capable of carrying out digital tasks, there are still countless things they cannot do. They cannot take a photograph, verify something in the physical world, complete an errand, or create work that requires a uniquely human touch. Nathan Pinnock, as chief architect, was keen to design something to allows AI agents to hire real people to complete those tasks, creating opportunities for humans while helping AI systems bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. The team of founders describe it as a way of ensuring that people remain an essential part of the AI revolution rather than being left behind by it.
Although TaskPool has ambitions far beyond the South Coast, its roots are firmly in Southampton. Jones and Sommarstroem first became friends at Wildern School before assembling a team that combined expertise in software engineering, entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, and business development. Fin introduced friends he met through college, including developers James Fealey and Nathan Pinnock, while Alfred brought experienced entrepreneur John E Stubbs into the project.
What began as an idea quickly grew into something much bigger.
During the first few months, the team met regularly to share progress, discovering just how much work goes into launching a startup. Developers underestimated the legal and administrative challenges of building a company, while the business team underestimated the complexity of developing a secure platform from the ground up.
“The biggest learning for us has been how different areas of a business interact and work,” says Jones.
Despite the challenges, one theme runs throughout every conversation with the founders: trust.
The team operate as equal shareholders, each taking ownership of their specialist area while relying on one another’s expertise. Major disagreements have been rare, largely because everyone understands their role and respects the knowledge of others.
“We all trust each other,” says Jones.
That trust was tested on launch day.
When TaskPool went live on 10 August, technical issues threatened to derail months of work. Developers James Fealey and Nathan Pinnock spent more than sixteen hours working through the night to resolve problems and successfully launch the platform. It remains one of the most stressful moments in the company’s short history.
The reality of startup life has also meant significant sacrifices. Every member of the team continues to work on TaskPool alongside full-time employment or study, often spending evenings and weekends pushing the project forward.
“There is a constant and never-ending list of things to do,” Jones explains. “Even when a day’s work is done there is always more to do.”
What keeps them motivated is not simply the prospect of building a successful company, but the belief that TaskPool could make a meaningful difference.
The founders are particularly passionate about supporting creatives, artists, photographers, designers, and other skilled workers whose industries are being rapidly transformed by AI technologies. Rather than viewing artificial intelligence as a threat, they see an opportunity to create new forms of work that combine the strengths of both humans and machines.
“We all believe this platform has huge potential to change the way people work,” says Jones. “Our mission is to build an ethical platform for AI to hire humans for work that is, in itself, innately human.”
The response since launch has been encouraging. The team has already seen users creating accounts, applying for tasks, and engaging with the platform, providing early validation that their idea resonates beyond Southampton.
Yet for Jones and Sommarstroem, success is measured by more than user numbers or investment rounds.
Looking ahead, they hope TaskPool becomes a platform that helps people navigate one of the biggest technological shifts of our generation. They want to ensure that as AI becomes more capable, humans continue to share in the opportunities it creates.
For two friends who first met in a Southampton school classroom, it is an ambitious goal. But perhaps that is exactly what makes the story compelling.
In a world increasingly focused on what machines can do, Fin Jones, Alfred Sommarstroem and their team are asking a different question: how can technology create more opportunities for people?
If TaskPool succeeds, the answer may begin in Southampton but reach far beyond it.