telli Raises Pre-Seed Funding for AI Voice Agents | YC Alum

Telli Secures $3.6 Million to Tackle Customer Service Bottlenecks

Telli, a company previously backed by Y Combinator, is addressing a common challenge faced by businesses: managing a large influx of customer requests. The startup utilizes AI voice agents to efficiently handle routine tasks.

More intricate issues are then seamlessly transferred to human agents, optimizing workflow and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Pre-Seed Funding Details

The Berlin-based company has recently completed a $3.6 million pre-seed funding round. This investment was spearheaded by Cherry Ventures of Berlin, alongside Y Combinator.

Capabilities of Telli's AI Agents

Telli’s AI agents are capable of a diverse range of functions. These include automating callbacks and even successfully completing sales transactions.

The startup focuses on integrating its agents smoothly into existing business processes.

Impressive Growth and Expansion

The company, founded by Seb Hapte-Selassie, Philipp Baumanns, and Finn zur Mühlen, reports a monthly revenue growth exceeding 50%.

To date, they have processed nearly one million phone calls with a lean team of just six individuals operating from their Berlin headquarters.

Telli currently serves clients across Germany, the United Kingdom, Latin America, and the United States, with ambitious plans for continued global expansion.

Origins and Inspiration

CEO Finn zur Mühlen shared that the concept for Telli originated from the founders’ experiences at Enpal, a prominent German unicorn.

“We observed the difficulties in automating customer acquisition calls and effectively managing agent performance while scaling the customer service team,” he explained to TechCrunch.

AI Agent Functionality and Voice Technology

Telli’s AI agents are designed to deliver tangible results. They can schedule appointments, qualify potential leads, and offer relevant product recommendations.

The voices used by the agents are created by professional voice actors. These voices are then replicated using advanced voice-cloning technologies from platforms like ElevenLabs and Cartesian AI.

Underlying AI Models

The startup leverages a variety of AI models, including those from OpenAI and Claude.

“We adapt our approach to consistently provide our customers with the most effective solutions currently available,” stated zur Mühlen.