How Illumex Leverages GenAI to Simplify Access to High-Quality Data for LLMs

By now, it’s clear that quality data is essential for the effective operation of large language models (LLMs). However, preparing this data has been a significant challenge for many companies, presenting a perfect opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs. Enter Illumex—a two-year-old Israeli startup founded by Inna Tokarev-Sela, the former VP of AI at Sisense. This startup utilizes generative AI to streamline data preparation for LLMs and has just announced a successful $13 million funding round.

Inna Tokarev-Sela, founder and CEO of Illumex, identified the issue of data readiness years ago and established the company to help organizations automate their data organization processes. “We seamlessly associate an organization’s business logic with the relevant data, ensuring that business users easily access the information they need,” Tokarev-Sela explained.

Illumex employs a blend of technologies to achieve its goals, including generative AI, graph databases, and relational databases. This combination creates what Tokarev-Sela describes as a "data fabric," enabling companies to efficiently train LLMs and leverage data for various applications. She envisions Illumex as an integral part of the broader AI workflow—not just preparing data for models, but also facilitating application development and user interaction with the provided data.

“We connect to various systems, including business applications and diverse data sources like databases, data warehouses, data lakes, CRM systems, and enterprise resource planning systems. This comprehensive integration gives us a complete overview of the data landscape coupled with related logic in an automated knowledge graph,” she noted.

Illumex’s innovative approach allows customers to inventory their entire data ecosystem. “We offer deep insights into the semantics of the data landscape, enabling accurate and context-aware deployment of generative AI,” she added. Additionally, Illumex integrates seamlessly with common enterprise communication tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Meet, which prevents users from needing to adapt to new working methods.

Currently, Illumex boasts a customer base that includes highly regulated industries such as financial services and pharmaceuticals. The company employs 30 people and plans to expand its team thanks to the recent investment. As a female founder, Tokarev-Sela is dedicated to fostering a parent-friendly workplace, ensuring that the company maintains a female-majority workforce. “The demographics at Illumex reflect our values, going beyond mere slogans. We genuinely walk the walk,” she said.

The recent $13 million funding round was co-led by Cardumen Capital, Amdocs Ventures, and Samsung Ventures, with additional contributions from ICI Fund, Jibe Ventures, Iron Nation Fund, Ginossar Ventures, Icon Fund, Today Ventures, and several unnamed industry angels.