Proofs, a startup revolutionizing the proof-of-concept phase in software sales through advanced AI models, has successfully raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding. The investment round was spearheaded by Earlybird Digital East Fund, with significant contributions from Expeditions Fund, Step Function Ventures, RTP Global, and several angel investors.
Operating out of San Francisco and Warsaw, Proofs addresses the traditionally slow and costly process of developing proof-of-concept applications for potential customers. Building these applications for API-based products usually takes weeks to months and costs tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Currently, companies manage to create proof-of-concept apps for merely 1% of their prospects, a figure that Proofs aims to drastically improve.
The company was co-founded by Bartek Pucek and Zbigniew Sobiecki, both seasoned Polish entrepreneurs. Bartek, an experienced angel investor, has partnered with notable firms like Sequoia, a16z, and Y-Combinator in ventures such as ElevenLabs, Zeta Labs, Ramp, and Wordware. Zbigniew has extensive experience founding and leading tech companies, including Lite E-commerce, one of Poland’s largest e-commerce platforms. The duo also co-founded Forward Operators AI Lab, delivering AI/ML services to clients like Google, Decathlon, and Ten Square Games.
Proofs’ team comprises veteran software engineers and AI researchers. The newly secured funds will be used for product development, talent acquisition, and go-to-market preparations, with a strategic focus on mid-market and enterprise customers in the US.
Bartek Pucek, co-founder and CEO of Proofs, highlighted the significant challenges faced by API-based companies in building proof-of-concept apps, which often lead to overworked engineering teams and a high churn rate in the pre-sales process. He noted that Proofs addresses these challenges by reducing the costs by tenfold and automating the process, thus enhancing conversion rates and sales margins.
Mehmet Atici, partner at Earlybird Digital East Fund, emphasized the innovation that Proofs brings to API-first companies by streamlining sales processes and integrations, potentially transforming the software development and sales landscape.
With strong investor backing and a clear vision, Proofs is poised to significantly impact the way software companies develop and deploy proof-of-concept applications, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective sales processes.