# Will Bodewes

> Will Bodewes is the co-founder and CEO of Phonely, an AI business-phone platform founded with Nisal Ranasinghe in 2023 and part of Y Combinator’s summer 2024 batch. A mechanical engineering graduate of the University of New Hampshire and former University of Melbourne AI researcher, he previously founded Spoke Sound and won the 2022 Colorado Trail Race. Phonely announced a $16 million Series A led by Base10 Partners in April 2026.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Phonely
- **Organizations:** Phonely, Spoke Sound, University of Melbourne, University of New Hampshire
- **Education:** B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, University of New Hampshire, PhD research in applied artificial intelligence; degree completion not established, University of Melbourne
- **Known for:** Winner, 2022 Colorado Trail Race., Second place, 2021 Colorado Trail Race., 2015 Tour Divide finisher at age 17.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Completed the Tour Divide at age 17 in 17 days, 10 hours and 11 minutes; ninth in the published finisher list.
- **2016-2020** — Studied mechanical engineering and competed in Nordic skiing at the University of New Hampshire.
- **2020** — Served as Nordic team co-captain and qualified for the NCAA championship.
- **2021** — Released Spoke Sound’s first picture-speaker product; finished second in the Colorado Trail Race.
- **2022** — Won the Colorado Trail Race in 4 days, 18 hours and 36 minutes.
- **2023** — Co-founded Phonely with Nisal Ranasinghe after AI research at the University of Melbourne.
- **2024** — Phonely joined Y Combinator’s summer batch.
- **2026** — Phonely announced a $16 million Series A led by Base10 Partners.

## Achievements

- Winner, 2022 Colorado Trail Race.
- Second place, 2021 Colorado Trail Race.
- 2015 Tour Divide finisher at age 17.
- Four-time National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team honoree, 2017-2020.
- University of New Hampshire men’s Nordic MVP, 2019.
- NCAA skiing championship qualifier and Nordic team co-captain, 2020.
- Co-founded a Y Combinator summer 2024 company.
- Led Phonely through a $16 million Series A announced in April 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Phonely announced a $16 million Series A led by Base10 Partners, with total funding reported at $19 million.
- **2026-04** — Appeared in a YC Founder Firesides conversation with Nicolas Dessaigne about Phonely’s product and enterprise focus.
- **2026-05** — Appeared on Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo to discuss earlier ventures, customer relationships and Phonely’s growth.

## Links

- Website: https://bodeweswill.wixsite.com/willbodewes/copy-of-home
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-bodewes/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willbodewes/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/will-bodewes
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25