Tur.ai, a Ukrainian-Dutch AI startup, is developing a platform for robotic process automation (RPA) based on artificial intelligence. The platform enables companies to optimize complex business processes without involving an IT team. In October 2024, the startup raised $1.45 million as part of its seed round. The main investor was the Czech fund Presto Tech Horizons, which invested $1.2 million in the startup.
In an interview with AIN, Ievgen Miasushkin, co-founder and CEO of Tur.ai, explains how the startup raised such a sum from the Czech fund, explains how the company's technology solution works and where it can be used in practice, and shares the company's plans and ambitions.
Tell our readers about Tur.ai, what the startup does, and what are its goals?
At Tur.ai, we are developing a solution that helps large businesses automate critical customer service processes, including sales and customer request handling. Our solution automatically generates business process models (BPMNs) from unstructured data, such as emails, scanned documents, or verbal descriptions, eliminating the need for manual process mapping and saving significant time and resources.
Our solution seamlessly integrates with existing CRM or ERP systems, allowing operational staff to continue working within familiar tools. The lion’s share of routine tasks, such as data entry or transitioning processes to the next stage, are handled automatically. Employees simply review the results and provide feedback when needed.
Our company also automates AI training, addressing the misconception that AI models can fully self-learn. Instead, most modern models rely on supervised learning, where experts guide the training process.
We have developed a unique system that enables non-technical users to provide feedback by marking errors, leaving comments, or rating the AI agent's performance. This feedback is seamlessly collected and used to continuously improve the models.
For businesses, this approach saves time and reduces costs by minimizing the need for extensive AI or data science teams. Users can easily provide feedback in a convenient format, which is automatically utilized to enhance the models without additional effort.
How does the Tur.ai technology solution work and how does it differ from competitors in the AI market?
Our solution stands out because its built-in AI technologies enable non-technical users to independently automate complex, multi-stage processes across departments. Examples include finding leads, sending offers, converting leads into orders, or facilitating further business investments. We have developed AI tools that not only automate these processes but also optimize their efficiency.
If we look at the standard process automation cycle, it all starts with digitalisation. The first step involves identifying the process participants, tasks, business logic, and systems involved, followed by linking everything into a unified execution chain. This process is typically managed by analysts using the BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) methodology. At Tur.ai, we’ve trained our AI with the BPMN methodology, enabling it to interpret unstructured inputs, such as managerial directives or detailed operational guidelines, and transform them into automation-ready business processes.
Our AI processes this information in an 'as-is' format, extracting and analyzing the details. Using BPMN Best Practices, it reconstructs the business process to be automation-ready. This allows the AI agent to handle key preparatory tasks, reducing the workload for the user.
How can companies use your AI solutions? Give us a specific example
DTEK [Ukraine's largest private investor in the energy sector - ed.] uses our solution to automate the process of securing grant funding for rebuilding Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The damage caused by the war has created a significant demand for grants offered by foundations and banks in Ukraine, Europe, and the US. However, obtaining these grants is a bureaucratic challenge: organizations must search for grantors, assess eligibility, identify active programs, and analyze requirements outlined across hundreds of pages of documentation.
The Reconstruction Department currently has a small team with numerous other priorities. Conducting searches and monitoring manually would hinder their efficiency and reduce the likelihood of securing funding. Our solution simplifies this complex process. We have developed an AI agent for DTEK that processes information on relevant areas of activity and grant opportunities using targeted keywords. The agent incorporates key details about DTEK, such as its size, organizational structure, and types of activities, to generate customized grant applications, such as funding requests to restore a thermal power plant in Ukraine within a specified timeframe.
The agent conducts parallel web searches, processing dozens of pages of results—an effort that would be infeasible for a human. It then analyzes websites, tender platforms, and various document formats (e.g., PDF, Word, Excel) to identify relevant grant opportunities. Finally, it compiles a clear and actionable list for the department's employees, streamlining their decision-making process.
Why do you position yourself as a Ukrainian-Dutch startup if your core team is in Ukraine?
Most of our clients are based in the Netherlands, which is also our primary market. While we are proud of our Ukrainian roots, the current war and specific requirements of European companies make it challenging to position ourselves solely as a Ukrainian company. Therefore, we have adopted a dual identity as a Ukrainian-Dutch company.
Ukraine will always remain the core of Tur.ai, with the majority of the 30 new positions we plan to create next year based in Ukraine.
We are proud to be a resident of Diia.City and appreciate the opportunities it provides for businesses like ours. Additionally, we actively collaborate with people with disabilities and veterans, supporting their reintegration into professional and social spheres. We are committed to continuing these initiatives in the future.
How did you manage to raise $1.45 million in funding? How did you look for investors and get in touch with them?
It was a year-long journey during which my partner, Pavlo Kozhokar, and I realized that we would not be able to achieve our goals and ambitions on our own. It's worth noting that we had no previous experience in raising external finance, as I had always funded my previous businesses out of my own pocket. We decided to raise external funding due to the limited time available for development.
There are certain prerequisites for our business. First, in 2022–2023, AI technologies reached a level ready for commercialization, even though they were still somewhat undeveloped. Second, the economic crisis became a major driver for businesses focusing on operational efficiency. According to researchers, the adoption of such technologies was less than 10%, but by 2027, it is expected to grow to 70%, and the market is projected to expand sevenfold.
This situation opens up new opportunities for startups but also imposes time constraints. If a startup fails to bring its solution to market and demonstrate its value within three years, large corporations such as Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and SAP can theoretically achieve similar results by creating a functionally similar solution. It is almost impossible to compete with them because of their financial resources and extensive customer bases.
Initially, we tried to attract funding, but our attempts were unsuccessful—they did not understand our concept, and we could not present the product clearly. Therefore, we took a break to learn how to pitch our project effectively. During this pause, we joined the Startup Wise Guys accelerator, where we gained practical experience and received mentoring. The training lasted several months.
During the program, we met with representatives of investment funds, including Oleksandr Bulatnikov from Presto Ventures. This meeting resulted from our improved pitch rather than a mere request for advice. We piqued the fund's interest, and after nine months of communication, they decided to invest because they believed in our idea.
You can read more about the deal here.
This path required hundreds of contacts with funds in America, Europe, and Ukraine. In 90% of cases, we were rejected or did not receive a response. Nevertheless, our persistence led to success: two funds, including Presto, expressed a desire to invest. We realized that treating rejections as part of the process, analyzing them, and improving our approaches was essential.
Did your positioning as a Ukrainian-Dutch startup help you attract foreign investment, in particular from a Czech fund?
I am 100% sure that we have attracted investment from Presto Tech Horizons because they are committed to supporting Ukraine.
How do you plan to allocate the funds you have raised?
Our detailed plans were essential to securing funding. We meticulously outlined the activities and projects for which the funds will be allocated. These activities fall into two main categories: marketing and commercial operations. In our case, this includes both online and offline advertising, as events and conferences are crucial in enterprise sales. Additionally, building a robust partner network is a key strategy for achieving rapid growth.
Our team prioritizes product development over direct end-user implementation. This approach enables us to continuously enhance our solution and maintain momentum by minimizing bureaucracy and avoiding delays. By staying agile, we can remain dedicated to advancing our product.
We recognize the need to enhance the onboarding process for our customers, enabling them to independently configure, customize, and deploy the solution without requiring assistance from us, partners, or integrators. Additionally, we are committed to ensuring that our solutions empower corporations to utilize AI without reliance on major vendors, such as OpenAI, Entropy, or Google, while maintaining robust data protection. A critical focus of our work is safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring it remains within the company and is not used to train models accessible to competitors.
Do you plan to attract further investments and what are your plans for the next few years?
We have completed our latest funding round and are currently focused on utilizing the funds we have raised.
Our future strategy includes plans to raise more capital, targeting mid-2026. By that time, we aim to achieve several growth milestones: increase customer engagement, confirm our product-market fit, achieve €2.5 million in ARR, expand our customer base to at least 20 enterprise clients, and establish a partner distribution network with 15 partners. These achievements will position Tur.ai for a successful Series A funding round. Following this, our goal is to reach €50 million ARR and grow our team to at least 200 members by 2028.
Our vision is to create a Ukrainian unicorn—a world-class high-tech company that drives economic growth through innovative solutions, helping our clients grow efficiently and remain competitive, both during challenging times and periods of expansion.
