Discover How Y Combinator's Origami Agents is Revolutionizing Sales with $2M in AI Funding

Summary:

Origami Agents has raised $2 million to enhance sales teams with AI technology.
Achieved $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue within eight weeks during beta testing.
Stellar's CEO reports eight-fold growth in clients due to Origami's technology.
Origami focuses on augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them with AI.
Plans to expand into other B2B sectors with the help of newly acquired funding.

Finn Mallery and Kenson Chung, co-founders of Origami Agents

Y Combinator-backed startup Origami Agents has successfully raised $2 million in seed funding to develop AI research agents designed to enhance the efficiency of human sales teams. This innovative approach contrasts sharply with the prevalent trend of using AI avatars for automating sales roles.

Founded just four months ago, the San Francisco-based company has achieved a remarkable $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue during its initial eight-week beta period, positioning it as the fastest-growing startup in Y Combinator’s current cohort.

“Only humans can close big deals, but AI can make them much smarter and faster,” said Kenson Chung, co-founder of Origami Agents. Chung, who dropped out of the University College London, emphasizes the importance of human expertise in closing sales.

Origami’s AI agents are designed to alleviate the tedious research tasks that usually consume a significant portion of a sales representative’s time, allowing them to focus on closing deals instead.

AI Sales Research: Transforming B2B Lead Generation

One of Origami's early adopters, Stellar, a property maintenance marketplace, has seen its client base expand eight-fold in just nine months, largely due to Origami’s technology. Matt Wetrich, Stellar’s CEO, noted that the quality of leads generated is exceptionally high, leading to a closure rate four times the industry average.

“Instead of it being like ground beef, and you gotta form it into something, it’s now like arriving as a steak,” Wetrich stated, highlighting the superior quality of leads compared to traditional methods.

The founding team, consisting of experienced professionals like Finn Mallery and Kenson Chung, brings a wealth of knowledge to this venture. Mallery has previously developed custom outbound solutions for over 20 startups, while Chung served as CTO at an enterprise sales platform.

The Future of Sales: AI That Works with Humans

As the debate surrounding AI’s role in sales continues, Origami’s rapid growth underscores the potential of augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. The company’s innovative approach may serve as a model for how AI can enhance various business functions.

“It’s not going to be a lot like a computer; it’s going to be a lot like electricity,” Wetrich remarked, drawing parallels between AI’s impact on sales and other transformative technologies.

With the newly acquired seed funding, Origami plans to broaden its reach beyond property management to other B2B sectors, leveraging AI to analyze data from multiple sources and identify customers at their peak buying intent.

“There’s enough information on the internet to know exactly who your perfect customers are,” Mallery concluded, emphasizing the potential of unstructured data in driving sales.

Origami Agents’ AI system dashboard Dashboard view of Origami Agents’ AI system analyzing companies’ digital presence to identify potential sales opportunities.