AI technology, as demonstrated by Berlin-based startup Synthflow, is particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by automating repetitive tasks. Synthflow recently secured a $7.4 million seed round for its no-code platform that offers AI voice assistance to SMEs.
Since its inception in spring of the previous year, Synthflow has raised a total of $9.1 million, indicating strong investor interest in accelerating the applications of generative AI. The startup is approaching 1,000 customers and has reported double-digit monthly growth rates since its launch in December 2023.
Synthflow’s product, which initially focused on English-language call handling due to its primary markets being English-speaking, has since added German and French language versions. The startup plans to expand its focus on European markets.
The new funding will be used for research and development, with the goal of increasing product utility and broadening the scope of SMEs that can benefit from the platform. Synthflow’s CEO, Hakob Astabatsyan, emphasizes the team’s eagerness to maintain early momentum by enhancing the product’s capabilities.
Astabatsyan, a serial entrepreneur with a business background, co-founded Synthflow with his brother, Albert, and Sassun Mirzakhan-Saky, who brings software engineering expertise to the team.
Synthflow’s platform offers an “end-to-end” experience for SMEs, particularly those in the service industry. The startup argues that the return on investment from automating core tasks like appointment scheduling would be immediately apparent to resource-strapped businesses.
The AI can handle basic customer inquiries, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex tasks. Synthflow’s no-code interface allows customers to design voice agents that can perform specific tasks, such as scheduling appointments, running through FAQs, or performing information extraction.
The AI is designed to disclose that it is a virtual assistant and can transfer calls to human agents when necessary. Synthflow’s system also takes care of post-call data entry tasks, such as adding appointments to a calendar tool.
For the voice agents, Synthflow builds on OpenAI’s GPT language model but also incorporates its own AI models, which have been trained on its own data and fine-tuned to specific customer use cases. The startup has also developed a “voice orchestration layer” that converts customer speech into text and synthesizes the AI’s responses.
Currently, Synthflow is focused on using AI with inbound calls, but Astabatsyan hints at more sophisticated capabilities in development, such as live actions or connections that would allow the AI to perform tasks like checking live inventory in a warehouse.
Synthflow’s seed funding is led by Singular, with participation from existing investor Atlantic Labs and a number of investors in the AI space, including the founders of Krisp AI.
