Respell Empowers Non-Technical Users to Create AI-Powered Workflows Effortlessly

When Matthew Rastovac, founder of Respell, was in high school, he interned in a role that involved painstakingly copying data from a government website into a spreadsheet. Finding the task tedious, he took the initiative to write code to automate the process. Today, Rastovac's company empowers non-technical employees to leverage generative AI to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks.

Respell recently announced a $4.75 million seed funding round led by Craft Ventures, supported by a number of notable industry angel investors.

“Respell harnesses AI automation to create efficient workflows. While the term 'workflow automation' is widely used, we’re offering a fresh perspective by concentrating on non-technical users,” Rastovac explained.

He recognized a significant gap in the market: too many tools are designed by engineers for engineers. With Respell, Rastovac aims to address this by enabling less technical users to swiftly create workflows simply by describing their needs, allowing the software to handle the rest.

Until now, non-technical users typically relied on a drag-and-drop method to build workflows, which often required manual intervention even with predefined components. Respell aims to change this, enabling users to articulate their desired workflows. The AI will then construct the workflow, giving users the flexibility to tweak it as necessary.

Respell refers to its workflows as “spells,” and users have the option to either create their own or choose from prebuilt templates. The platform is designed to be versatile with its underlying large language model (LLM), aiming for compatibility with major AI providers, although it currently operates primarily with GPT-4, which has proven to be the most effective.

Craft Ventures investor Sean Whitney noted that Rastovac has identified a unique opportunity to leverage generative AI in addressing workflow challenges. “The recent advancements in AI hold immense potential, but many people find it difficult to harness that power. Respell simplifies the process, making it accessible for anyone to use AI in a customizable way,” Whitney stated.

Founded last year, Respell released its initial version in March and became generally available in August. Currently, the company employs eight full-time staff members, with plans to expand cautiously based on financial performance rather than aggressive growth.