# Eric Kidwell

> Eric Kidwell is a Rantoul, Illinois-based pastor, designer and founder who spent 14 years in pastoral ministry before co-founding Bonfire AI. The platform grew from LiveAI and is designed to turn a church or business leader's own sermons, training and documentation into a conversational guide with defined guardrails and human handoff. Kidwell's route to software runs through financial services, church creative leadership, the design practice And Studio and a longstanding interest in making digital experiences feel more relational.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Bonfire AI
- **Organizations:** Bonfire AI, LiveAI, And Studio, Christian Life Church, Ministerial Co-op, Intersect Solutions
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science; graduated magna cum laude, Greenville University, Associate degree, Danville Area Community College
- **Known for:** Co-founded Bonfire AI after 14 years in pastoral ministry., Reported 50 organizations and 50,000 messages on LiveAI within its early public launch period in 2025., Founded And Studio and developed websites, apps, brands and digital campaigns for churches and businesses.

## Career timeline

- **2008-2010** — Worked as a financial services representative at MassMutual Financial Group.
- **2010** — Began serving in creative arts and pastoral ministry at Christian Life Church in Rantoul.
- **2014** — Founded And Studio, a creative practice focused on websites, apps, brands and digital engagement.
- **2015-2017** — Served as president of Rantoul's Ministerial Co-op, a monthly collaboration among area pastors.
- **2024** — LiveAI reached an alpha release on Thanksgiving, according to Kidwell's later account.
- **2025** — LiveAI entered beta around Easter and was publicly demonstrated in July as a conversational layer for church websites.
- **2026** — LiveAI and TAPOS were combined under the Bonfire name; Kidwell serves as founder and CEO alongside fellow founders Preston Pope and Nick Smith.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Bonfire AI after 14 years in pastoral ministry.
- Reported 50 organizations and 50,000 messages on LiveAI within its early public launch period in 2025.
- Founded And Studio and developed websites, apps, brands and digital campaigns for churches and businesses.
- Graduated magna cum laude from Greenville University.
- Led the Rantoul Ministerial Co-op as president from 2015 to 2017.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Appeared on The Church Digital to demonstrate LiveAI and discuss conversational church websites, multilingual outreach and human handoff.
- **2025-07** — Reported that roughly 50 organizations had used the young product and that it had handled about 50,000 messages.

## Links

- Website: https://ericekidwell.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericekidwell
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ericekidwell
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ericekidwell
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ericekidwell

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/eric-kidwell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27