AI Startup telli Raises €13.1M to Automate Customer-Facing Workflows

Berlin-based AI startup telli has secured a €13.1 million Seed round, pushing its total funding past €16.1 million. The investment, led by redalpine with participation from Mutschler, key angels, and existing backers like Cherry Ventures and Y Combinator, underscores growing confidence in AI-driven customer operations.

According to co-founder and CEO Finn zur Muehlen, modern B2C companies need AI that can manage customer interactions across multiple channels while streamlining backend operations. “Customer-facing operations are becoming too complex to run with the current tools alone,” he stated. telli aims to replace traditional systems like CRMs, call centers, and manual workflows with AI-powered solutions.

For two decades, consumer-business interactions have relied on calls, emails, SMS, and forms. telli argues that while companies have adapted to these channels, their underlying infrastructure remains outdated, creating inefficiencies.

The startup’s platform enables businesses to deploy AI agents across voice, chat, SMS, WhatsApp, and email, automating sales, service, and support tasks.

At the heart of telli’s offering is Charlie, an AI assistant designed to help teams build, manage, and optimize customer-facing agents. The company reports its AI already handles millions of conversations for clients like Sky, Viessmann, and Enpal, performing tasks such as lead qualification, appointment booking, and issue resolution.

Sebastian Becker of redalpine praised telli’s technical team, stating, “The value voice agents will unlock across enterprise automation is immense.” The new funding will fuel engineering growth, expand telli’s multi-channel platform, and accelerate the shift from manual workflows to AI-run operations.