Intently, an innovative enterprise AI startup, has unveiled Founder AI, a groundbreaking tool designed to assist startup founders in identifying relevant investors and securing warm introductions within their existing networks. By analyzing a founder’s Gmail account and LinkedIn connections, Founder AI streamlines one of the most tedious and opaque aspects of fundraising.
In addition to the product launch, Intently announced it has secured $3 million in seed funding from prominent investors including Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Pioneer Fund, Liquid2, Altair Capital, and Davidovs VC, which will support the development and rollout of Founder AI.
“The overarching vision here reflects our past successes as entrepreneurs and our understanding of the critical need for a robust network,” said Mika Melchanka, co-founder of Intently.
Founder AI's Unique Features
Founder AI leverages a 'Warm VC Reach-Out List' that recommends suitable investors for warm introductions based on a startup’s unique network.
Melchanka clarified that Founder AI is not merely another CRM or outreach platform but a targeted solution designed to help founders leverage their networks for specific purposes, starting with fundraising.
Integrating advanced AI technologies—large language models (LLMs) and graph neural networks (GNNs)—Founder AI effectively analyzes email and social networking data to identify relevant investors. “LLMs have access to an extensive but unstructured data landscape, including social media and news articles, yet often fail to elucidate relationships between this information,” explained Dmitry Starodubtsev, co-founder and CTO of Intently.
The proprietary GNN technology enhances this process by structuring data relationships. “GNN effectively models interactions between individuals and organizations, allowing for more precise data insights,” Starodubtsev added.
Understanding Networking Challenges
The Intently team boasts significant expertise in enterprise AI and the fundraising challenges faced by founders. CEO Slava Solonitsyn and Starodubtsev previously co-founded Mighty Buildings, a startup that raised over $100 million, granting them insights into the essential role networking plays in a founder’s success.
Melchanka noted, “In today's AI-driven world, genuine connections are becoming increasingly rare amid the flood of automated messages and cold outreach.”
Solonitsyn sees opportunities to incorporate AI across various networking tasks, noting that founders face the same challenges as other professionals burdened by networking pressures.
Planned Rollout and Future Features
Intently is initiating the launch of Founder AI with a limited release for select founders, with plans for gradual expansion and the introduction of additional features. The tool will not only cater to fundraising but also automate networking for business development and hiring, positioning itself as an essential AI-powered networking assistant for professionals across industries.
“The automated agents we develop are crucial for addressing specific business challenges,” said Melchanka. “For instance, in business development, identifying impactful introductory paths requires industry insights, which we aim to provide.”
In a realm where "it's not what you know, but who you know," Intently is set to transform the networking landscape, making vital connections just an AI query away. The launch of Founder AI marks the beginning of a new era in networking, enabling founders to concentrate on their core mission of building the next great innovation.
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