Built by pastors and builders, for leaders who care.
We didn't come from Silicon Valley. We came from the church, the classroom, and the trenches of real organizations.
We started Bonfire because we lived the problem.
Eric spent 14 years in pastoral ministry watching great teaching disappear by Tuesday. Sunday's sermon would move people, but by midweek, the insights were gone. The questions that came up at 11pm went unanswered until office hours. The wisdom accumulated over years of ministry was trapped in one person's head.
Preston built software that empowered teams. Nick led a church while building product. They saw the same gap from different angles: organizations pour everything into creating wisdom, and most of it never reaches the people who need it.
Bonfire was built to fix that. Not by replacing the pastor, the leader, or the expert - but by extending their presence. By making their voice available at 2am. By turning years of accumulated wisdom into a guide that serves people when they need it most.
What we believe
Wisdom over information
Anyone can surface data. We help you share what you've learned.
Human + AI
Technology extends your presence. It never replaces it.
Guardrails matter
Your guide says what you've said. Nothing more, nothing less.
Clarity over complexity
If it can be simpler, we make it simpler.
Meet the team
Eric Kidwell
Founder & CEO
Eric spent 14 years in pastoral ministry before co-founding Bonfire AI. He built this because he lived the problem - a pastor who cared deeply but couldn't be everywhere his people needed him. Bonfire is the tool he wished he had.
Preston Pope
Founder & CTO
Preston is a software architect and the technical mind behind Bonfire's AI infrastructure. He's driven by the conviction that technology should serve people with integrity and efficiency - building tools that empower teams rather than create dependency.
Nick Smith
Co-Founder & CPO
Nick is both a product leader and an active Senior Pastor of a church in Texas. He brings the pastor's perspective to every product decision - because he's still living the problem Bonfire solves every single week.