Merx, the developer of a conversational AI tool for brand communications, has raised £1m as companies look to automation to meet customer demands.
AI is increasingly being used in customer facing roles. From chatbots built into banking apps to AI-manned call centres to an automated hotel concierge, the allure of expanding customer support without scaling up staff costs has carved out what startups like Merx hope is a lucrative industry of the future.
Merx’s conversational platform is designed to connect brands with customers through WhatsApp and other messaging platforms.
The startup said businesses can launch personalised marketing campaigns and effectively deploy digital salespeople to perform what it describes as “conversational commerce”.
“We believe the days of email marketing and website-centric digital commerce are over,” said co-founder Pietro Cammerini.
“In an AI-first world, brands will need to engage customers more directly, and provide hyper-personalised experiences wherever customers already are.”
The pre-seed funding will go towards increasing the startup’s headcount as it looks to build out its platform further.
The investment was led by VentureFriends with participation from Ascension.
“Over the years we have seen an increased difficulty for consumer facing companies to effectively engage with their audience and better serve their needs,” said VentureFriends founding partner Apostolos Apostolakis.
“WhatsApp can offer a very effective way to drive engagement as well as sales. We are excited to partner and support Pietro and Mohamed who have a deep understanding of the space and with Merx can help companies harness the WhatsApp channel.”
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