Berlin-based startup telli, which enables businesses to automate customer calls using AI voice agents, has secured a $3.6 million pre-seed round. Cherry Ventures and Y Combinator led the funding, with participation from private investors.
- telli was founded by Philipp Baumanns, Finn zur Mühlen, and Seb Hapte-Selassie. Philipp and Finn were the first two employees of the heat pump unit at Enpal, one of Germany’s energy unicorns. Seb was an early engineer at Pitch.
- Unlike basic speech tools, telli focuses on real-world use by automating thousands of calls daily. Its AI agents use natural voices, remember past calls, know when to follow up, and switch to human agents when needed. According to the startup, smart calling tactics and number rotation help improve reach.
- Launched eight months ago, telli has already processed nearly 1 million calls across real estate, healthcare, energy, financial services, and other industries. Due to strong inbound demand and referrals, the company reports over 50% revenue growth month over month over the past three months.
- As of today, it has customers in Germany, the UK, Latin America, and the US, and it plans to scale further.
- With the fresh capital, telli plans to expand its team and continue building what it calls "the AI call automation platform where humans and AI work hand in hand."
