Paris, September 4, 2024 — Steerlab, a Paris-based AI startup, has raised a $1.9 million pre-seed funding round to double down its strategy to build a cutting-edge AI platform that automates responses to Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and security questionnaires. This platform is designed to help PreSales and security teams enhance their efficiency, automate 80% of the time spent on responses, and maximize their success in winning more deals.

With the fresh capital, Steerlab will expand its core team by attracting top engineering talent and scaling its sales operations, aiming to double down on sales acquisition with well-known tech companies in the US and Europe, maintaining a global approach from day one.

The funding round was led by Nordic early-stage investor Dreamcraft VC, with significant contributions from Heartfelt_, a Berlin-based early-stage firm launched by the managers of APX, AI specialist VC Lumière AI Ventures, along with more than 20 hand-picked angel investors from the US and Europe. These angels include founders, Sales Leaders, General Managers, and operators from top firms such as AWS, Cloudflare, Databricks, Datadome, and many others. Additionally, Steerlab secured investment from Station F, the world's largest startup hub run by Xavier Niel, after being recognized as one of the top startups in its most selective program.

“We’re glad to have won such renowned investors who back our mission. We’re not just building another AI co-pilot for RFPs, our mission is to rethink the end-to-end response workflow and help our customers focus on what really matters: Winning more deals” said Rami, CEO of Steerlab. “This funding will help us execute our vision of making Steerlab the worldwide leader in our space. To achieve this, we are doubling down on the international strategy we have pursued from day one. This is reflected in our customer base, our international investors, and our multicultural team.”

Transforming the RFP Response Workflow with AI

Steerlab leverages fine-tuned language models and Multi-Modal agentic AI systems to automate and enhance the response process for RFPs and security questionnaires. The company’s mission is to empower PreSales teams in B2B software companies by helping them create high-quality, winning proposals efficiently and providing actionable insights that enhance their chances of securing more deals. By taking care of all the busywork, Steerlab allows teams to focus on the human interactions necessary to close the deal.

“Right from the start, we have been impressed by founders Rami Iguerwane and Othmane Hamzaoui and their ambition to solve the critical inefficiencies in responding to tenders, a pain they have experienced first hand". "They iterate rapidly based on market feedback, ensuring their AI platform meets customer needs effectively and we are excited to support a team so dedicated to using GenAI technologies to solve a concrete pain point in B2B Sales process.” said Mathilde Lyet, Investment Manager at Dreamcraft Ventures

Addressing a critical business need

Companies often spend thousands of hours annually on these processes without guaranteed success. Steerlab’s solution tackles this inefficiency by fully automating the workflow, from managing the content library and generating responses to assigning reviewers and providing insights, ensuring everything operates on autopilot  and boosting the chances of winning more deals.

Founding Story

Founded in 2023 and based in Paris, Steerlab is led by founders Rami Iguerwane and Othmane Hamzaoui. The founders met through their previous jobs, where they experienced firsthand the difficulties and inefficiencies involved in responding to RFPs and vendor questionnaires, understanding how excessively time-consuming and cumbersome these tasks can be. With Steerlab, they are now revolutionizing the PreSales landscape by transforming old manual processes into fully automated, intelligent workflows that significantly boost efficiency and maximize success in winning more deals.

Their combined expertise has already earned the trust of several well-known tech companies in the US, Canada, France, and Germany.

About Dreamcraft VC

Dreamcraft Ventures is a Nordic early-stage venture capital firm, established by Jesper Søgaard and Christian Kirk Rasmussen, founders of Better Collective, a Danish unicorn and now listed company. Dreamcraft invests in tech-driven companies from pre-Seed to Series A across Europe, focusing primarily on B2B software. The firm has successfully raised two funds and its portfolio includes companies like Airhelp and GRID, and AI startups such as Proemial and We Are Learning. Dreamcraft is dedicated to providing hands-on support to ambitious founders, helping them build and scale innovative businesses.

About Heartfelt_

Heartfelt_ is Europe’s first cheque fund, investing in the most ambitious pre-seed startups across Europe and in European founders abroad. Heartfelt_ always partners early with founders, usually as their first investors at the start of their venture story, specializing in supporting initial motions from 0 to 1. The team behind Heartfelt_ has partnered with over 300 startups over the past 10 years in our commitment to European pre-seed investing. We see particular promise in first-time founders coming from diverse backgrounds, reflecting our own team's varied history and lived experiences.

About Lumière AI Ventures‍

Lumière AI Ventures focuses on early-stage investments in generative AI and related fields, primarily in Europe.

About Station F

Station F, located in Paris, is the world’s largest startup campus, fostering a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship. Founded by Xavier Niel, the hub is home to over 1,000 startups, providing them with unparalleled access to resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Station F offers a range of programs designed to identify and support the most promising startups, with the added advantage of investing in the top companies emerging from its in-house initiatives, such as the Founders Program.

‍