FunnelAI

FunnelAI operates as a customer acquisition platform, leveraging artificial intelligence to connect businesses with purchase-ready customers in real-time. Founded in 2017 by the brother-sister duo Sridhar (Sri) and Sujatha (Suja) Kamma, along with Suman Poluri, the company was established to refine the lead generation process. Sridhar, a mechanical engineer and data scientist, identified a significant inefficiency in traditional lead conversion and developed the core AI model to filter high-intent signals from vast amounts of social and web data.

The company's journey began in Austin and later moved to San Antonio in May 2017 after joining the RealCo accelerator program, which provided early mentorship and support. This pivot was encouraged by RealCo's co-founder, who saw the potential in focusing solely on the AI-driven lead generation component of Sridhar's initial, broader business app concept called Apposphere. FunnelAI secured a pre-seed round of $375,000 and followed up with a significant $1.5 million seed funding round in March 2019, led by Active Capital, Geekdom Fund, and True. This capital infusion was earmarked for team expansion, particularly in sales, marketing, and software engineering, to scale its operations.

The platform's core service involves automatically scouring social media, online forums, and other digital platforms to identify users expressing explicit intent to purchase a product or service. These qualified prospects are then delivered to business clients, effectively shortening the sales cycle. The business model is subscription-based, offering a more targeted alternative to traditional keyword advertising on major platforms. While applicable to various sectors, FunnelAI initially focused heavily on the automotive industry, serving dealerships, manufacturers, and related financing and insurance companies. By November 2018, the company had reportedly reached a $1 million annual recurring revenue (ARR). In August 2021, FunnelAI was acquired by SocialMiningAi, Inc., a company led by automotive industry veterans, to integrate FunnelAI's technology into a broader, automated platform for the automotive space.

Keywords: customer acquisition, AI lead generation, sales intelligence, social media monitoring, purchase intent data, real-time leads, automotive sales technology, B2B SaaS, Sridhar Kamma, Suja Kamma, SocialMiningAi, Active Capital, Geekdom Fund, lead generation software, sales automation, marketing technology, prospect discovery, social selling