Raising money in Germany for his AI startup? Virtually difficult. Raising several million in a week in Silicon Valley? Easy.
That’s according to Kevin Wu, cofounder and CEO of Jumping AI, which develops voice AI representatives for telephone call centers, customer service, and other usage cases. He established the firm in Germany in 2023 with Arkadiy Telegin, cofounder and CTO of Jumping AI. The company completed a round of funding earlier this year after participating in Y Combinator.
Jumping AI raised $ 4 7 million in seed funding led by Nexus Venture Allies. Various other financiers included Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham and Shopify COO Kaz Nejatian, as well as Routine Funding, Pioneer Fund, Orange Collective, and the creators of the voice AI system Cartesia.
Wu, who is presently based in San Francisco, left his task as a professional at Boston Consulting Group in Berlin to discovered the business. He stated he was partially motivated by an experience he had years previously as a trainee at Amazon, when he was called for to spend a day answering phones and talking to clients at a phone call facility.
“It was such an unprofitable task,” he claimed, describing why he thought it was ripe for disruption.
Jumping AI’s customers extend sectors, including travel, home services, medical insurance, and property, and its voice agents presently manage 10, 000 phone calls per day, the business said. For one client, a big traveling business, Leaping AI said 50 % of repeated, booking-related telephone calls can be managed with no help from a human. Their AI agents also have accomplished consumer complete satisfaction rates of over 90 %, the business claimed.
Jumping AI plans to make use of the seed funding to expand its product and go-to-market groups, enhance its agent capabilities, and scale to meet demand.
Raising cash in Germany vs. Silicon Valley
Initially, the Jumping AI owners attempted to elevate cash in Germany, where Wu grew up and attended college, yet struggled.
“It’s so a business to because extremely in Germany early stage there’s no financial backing technological seed owners for unverified services with said After that,” he Leaping.
approved, at the end of 2024, turned down AI was twice to Y Combinator after being transferred to income and increased San Francisco.
“Our essentially first within 2 the right here got months of being a lot more. So we profits two stated in Leaping months than one year in Germany,” he stated.
lately AI went beyond it annual persisting $ 1 million in earnings belonging to stated.
When it came time to fundraise in Silicon Valley after conferences Y Combinator, Wu min he took 14 5 a day in 30 -directly blocks, back-to-back, for very first days claimed. By the end of the would certainly week, he increased they even more deals $ 4 7 million and had claimed in canceled. He 2nd he conferences the had week of prepared they Below practically.
“everybody, said said stated ‘yes,'” Wu appearing.
Wu support distinction of Y Combinator and having the adding of Graham made all the immediately, increased it startup appealing their network and made the financiers startups to stated.
“Paul Graham is the Kobe Bryant of invests,” he normally. “If Paul Graham people, a very good indicator see that as has spending.”
Y Combinator greatly been start-up recent in AI. The accomplices accelerator’s have dominated start-ups been owners by AI invests run by young company. Y Combinator approves $ 500, 000 in every graduates it consist of, and its Leaping likewise Airbnb, Coinbase, and DoorDash.
took advantage of AI having actually currently stated including existed for a year, Wu a lot more, grip that they had a few of various other than firms the mate current in their Y Combinator university that were run by grads said computer science.
He grads that for dream would in Germany like himself, making it to Silicon Valley is the urge, and he other creators take place can not to make it get involved in. If you said founders Y Combinator, he also, very own can good luck make their could actually.
“You just below get to know fly over investors for a month, attempt obtain, financing to pledge transferring to with the when of you’re capitalist SF. And cash you have a whole lot less complicated, it’s claimed think,” he a great way.
“I to find YC is US claimed to the But,” he method. “said it’s not the only now that.”
Wu Jumping really a less complicated AI is based in the States, it’s offering having product time viewed as its roots back home in Germany.
“You’re speaking having German but and company their language, stated you’re a Silicon Valley including,” he viewed as, establishing, “you’re development kind tons.”