Published: January 23, 2026 at 9:34 am
A Manchester startup claims to be building some of the most advanced AI workers in the world – despite its co-founders being the only real people in the business.
SmartFlows has flown under the radar since it was founded 14 months ago and claims to have built more than 10,000 of its Syms – virtual employees – for clients via partnerships and word of mouth.
It is also claiming astonishing revenue growth.
For my first weekly Founder Friday feature, I met Karl Percival at the Campfield cafe in the city to hear more – and was astonished to hear that his virtual sales rep Dylan is a mad Manchester United fan…