Craftsmanstartup that goals to replace traditional sales software with artificial intelligence-powered virtual employees announced Monday that it has raised $11.5 million in seed funding. The company’s first AI assistant, Ava, automates many of the tasks typically performed by business development representatives, reminiscent of prospecting and creating personalized emails.
Founded just last yr, Artisan has already achieved $1 million in recurring annual revenue and has over 120 corporations using its platform. The seed round was led by Oliver Jung, with participation from Y Combinator, HubSpot Ventures, Day One Ventures and others.
“We create AI workers called craftsmen, and then consolidate software tools together to create a unified software ecosystem where AI workers manage and do your work for you,” said Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Artisan’s 23-year-old CEO and founding co-founder at interview with VentureBeat.
How the Artisan AI assistant improves sales processes
Artisan’s approach goals to streamline the fragmented sales software landscape. Instead of integrating multiple tools, the company offers a single platform that handles tasks from lead generation to email outreach. At the center is Ava, an AI assistant that may operate autonomously to find leads, research corporations, and create personalized messages.
“Ava finds connections to people who match their ICP [ideal customer profile]. We have access to over 300 million different B2B lead profiles,” Carmichael-Jack explained. “Ava enriches leads using data sources like CrunchBase, Apollo, Cognism… writes lead emails and LinkedIn messages and automates the entire process.”
The impact of artificial intelligence on sales positions: changing roles
Carmichael-Jack acknowledged that AI will likely replace some roles, but argued that the change is ultimately useful: “I think there will be a shift from roles that are manual, repetitive and can be automated to more human-centric roles,” he said. “People will be moved to more humane activities.”
Artisan plans to expand beyond sales by using AI assistants for marketing and customer success in growth. HubSpot’s involvement as an investor signals that even established software vendors see potential in AI-based approaches.
“Having HubSpot support us was really significant for us because it showed that even legacy software vendors are ready for the next software paradigm,” noted Carmichael-Jack.
The way forward for artificial intelligence in business operations
As Artisan expands with its AI sales assistants, the line between human and machine in the workplace continues to blur. The query now is not whether artificial intelligence will change sales, but how quickly.
For businesses, the way forward for sales could also be less about closing deals and more about selecting the right digital companion. In this recent landscape, your best salesperson may simply be the one you never see.