Donna, a Belgian AI assistant for sales professionals, has secured $1.6 million in pre-seed funding. The investment was led by Pitchdrive, which previously supported Henchman and Opera Credits. Other investors included Everywhere Ventures, Fortino, Syndicate One, and WeLoveFounders. Several other angel investors too contributed in the fund.
Donna will utilize the funds to acquire fresh personnel and expedite its ambitious expansion in the EU and the United States.
Sales personnel face a significant problem in accurately and effectively entering essential information into the CRM system. This is a time-consuming procedure. Donna, an AI-powered sales assistant, was created to aid sales professionals before, during, and after each sales transaction. Because these salesmen are usually on the road, it is critical that they accurately update their CRM system and take the following steps.
“A major problem for mobile sales personnel, who frequently conduct 5-10 prospecting or client visits per day, is swiftly and accurately entering pertinent information into a client Relationship Management (CRM) system. According to Jonas Deprez, Donna’s co-CEO and co-founder, processing a meeting takes an average of 20 minutes, which may be better spent selling.
Donna is driven by seasoned entrepreneurs from the Ghent startup community, including Nicolas Christiaen, Jonas Deprez, Xander Berkein, Lander T’Kindt, and the startup firm StarApps.
Nicolas launched Cashforce, a fintech startup that he sold to German payment platform TIS in 2022. Jonas founded the retail data company Daltix, which was acquired by the Colruyt Group in 2023.
Xander previously worked as Team Lead for Belgian unicorn Deliverect, and Lander was at StarApps, which has generated successful startups such as Realo and Bizzy.
It is frequently not practical to capture a conversation at a prospect’s location. This is where Donna enters the picture. It contacts the salesperson following the visit, gathers the essential information, and immediately updates the CRM. It also creates a follow-up email for the client or prospect.
Donna also leverages common communication methods such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and email, allowing users to continue with their favorite tools. The AI sales assistant also works smoothly with common CRM platforms such as Salesforce and HubSpot.
Within a year of its launch, the AI startup has 200 active users and has sparked attention from top organizations in the food service, business services, real estate, and construction industries, as well as several growth capital funds.
“This reduces the administrative hassle after each sales interaction, giving salespeople more time to sell,” explained Nicolas Christiaen, Donna’s co-CEO and co-founder. ‘With Donna, every salesman has their own personal assistant for a fraction of the expense.’
