A French startup behind AI sales technology has revealed plans to “significantly scale our UK operation”.
Zeliq has secured $10 million to boost sales with AI-powered data and outreach automation, with backing from Exor Ventures – holding company of Italy’s Agnelli dynasty – as well as Resonance.
Dorian Ciavarella, CEO and co-founder, told BusinessCloud that almost 10% of its users are from the UK after it onboarded more than 3,000 in total in just six months of beta testing.
“We have plans to significantly scale our UK operation,” he said. “Since our platform entered the beta phase in November 2023, our focus has been on acquiring users rather than monetisation. We are thrilled to report that we have experienced substantial growth.
“The recent fundraising will be instrumental in our growth strategy, enabling us to expand our operations in the UK as well as France and the US.”
Exor Ventures is renowned for its investments in French unicorns Qonto and Alan. The heavily oversubscribed round brings Zeliq’s total funds raised to $15.4m just one year after launching.
The Paris-based firm does not have a physical office in the UK as it operates on a fully remote basis.
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“UK businesses are highly receptive to new technologies and innovation, making the UK a prime market for our advanced sales and marketing solutions,” continued Ciavarella, the founder of influencer platform Hivency, which made an eight-figure exit to SaaS solutions provider Skeepers.
“As a global leader in digital transformation, there is strong demand for cutting-edge solutions that drive efficiency and growth. Additionally, the UK’s mature business environment is conducive to rapid adoption of innovative tools, which align with our platform’s offerings.
“The shared language also allows us to efficiently manage both US and UK markets with streamlined English communication strategies, facilitating a more cohesive expansion effort.
“Moreover, the UK’s robust infrastructure and strategic position as a gateway to Europe further enhances its attractiveness as a key market. By establishing a strong presence in the UK, we can leverage these advantages to accelerate our growth and broaden our reach across the region.”
Zeliq tackles one of the biggest pain points faced by B2B tech companies today: the disjointed and inefficient sales management process. It hosts the entire sales toolstack in a single platform, which eliminates the need to switch from one tool to another and allows businesses to conduct highly targeted virtual sales.
Zeliq identifies sales prospects, profiles LinkedIn users, automates sales workflows, and uses AI to analyse personality, strategy, and generate personalised outreach messages. It integrates highly accurate contact data from a database of 450+ million potential buyers, the largest of any European sales platform.
The versatility of the solution allows it to be used by not only sales people, but also marketers and solopreneurs.
“As an early-stage company, our primary focus has been on achieving product-market fit,” added the founder. “While we do have ambitious plans for growth in the UK, we are currently in the process of refining our strategies and metrics. We aim to share specific targets regarding employee numbers, turnover and other key growth indicators as we move forward.
“We are excited about the potential for our UK expansion and look forward to providing more detailed insights in due course. As we distribute the funds, we will be in a better position to outline our concrete targets and the milestones we aim to achieve.”
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