1up Launches from Stealth Mode with $2.5M Funding for Sales AI That Effectively Handles Customer Objections and Streamlines RFP Completion

One common experience for sales professionals is the repetitive task of answering similar questions and completing request-for-proposal (RFP) forms. However, with the rise of generative AI, the focus shifts to what aspects of this tedious yet specialized work can be automated.

Are You Ready for AI Agents?

A significant portion of these tasks can indeed be automated, according to the New York City-based startup, 1up, which recently emerged from stealth mode with $2.5 million in funding from notable investors like 8-Bit Capital and RRE Ventures. Founded by CEO George Avetisov, 1up introduces its "Knowledge Automation Platform," specifically designed to enhance sales team efficiency.

“Generative AI is often associated with copywriting and image creation,” said Manoj Abraham, co-founder and Head of Product at 1up. “We aim to leverage this technology for knowledge automation, unlocking unprecedented productivity by improving information flow within enterprises.”

How 1up’s Knowledge Automation Platform Works

According to the company's website, sales teams often struggle to obtain accurate information quickly when answering customer inquiries or filling out RFPs. 1up addresses this challenge by providing product information through a natural language processing (NLP) chatbot that aggregates data from multiple sources, including Google Drive, Box, and Confluence.

The chatbot seamlessly integrates with popular collaboration tools like Salesforce's Slack and Microsoft Teams, delivering answers as if it were another user.

Example Questions 1up Can Answer

1up can rapidly respond to various sales-related queries, such as:

- “What’s a good case study I can use to close a banking customer?”

- “Why did we lose that Fortune 500 deal to a competitor last quarter?”

- “How do I respond to customer inquiries regarding our SOC2 compliance?”

- “What documentation do I need to deploy our product in Kubernetes?”

Differentiation by Design

While other companies have developed AI-driven sales enablement tools, 1up stands out with its unique capabilities. One key feature allows users to ask multiple questions simultaneously, unlike many large language model (LLM) applications such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which handle one question at a time. This functionality enables sales team members to quickly complete RFPs by pasting multiple queries into the 1up chatbot, receiving comprehensive responses efficiently.

Additionally, 1up implements guardrails to minimize inaccuracies in its AI-driven replies. By utilizing a company's internal knowledge base and several LLMs, the platform provides accurate, contextually relevant answers to sales inquiries.

“The questions processed by 1up revolve around sensitive internal knowledge,” the company’s press release states. “These queries cannot be easily searched online, posed to conventional AI, or automated through standard means.”

Pricing

1up offers competitive pricing, starting at $249 per month for up to five users, with options scaling to $849 monthly for up to 50 users, and packages available for larger enterprises.

In summary, 1up's innovative approach to knowledge automation aims to alleviate repetitive tasks for sales teams, enhancing their productivity and information access.