Donna, AI assistant for sales reps on the go, raises $1.6 million

Sales professionals on the go can focus on selling, while Donna takes care of the rest

Donna, the AI-based assistant that enables sales professionals on the go to focus on selling, has raised $1.6 million from US and European investors. This pre-seed funding will help the Belgian serial entrepreneurs behind Donna to attract new talent and further accelerate its ambitious rollout in the EU and US.

Support for sales professionals on the go

‘A major challenge for sales professionals on the go, who often make 5-10 prospecting or customer visits daily, is efficiently and accurately entering relevant information into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Processing a meeting takes an average of 20 minutes, time that could be better spent on selling,’ says Jonas Deprez, co-CEO and co-founder of Donna.

That’s why these seasoned entrepreneurs are launching ‘Donna’, an AI-powered sales assistant that helps sales professionals on the go before, during and after every sales interaction. Since these salespeople are frequently on the move, Donna calls them to accurately update their CRM system and initiate next steps.

The AI startup, founded late last year, already has 200 active users and has attracted interest from leading companies in the food industry, business services, real estate, construction sectors, and some growth capital funds.

A personal assistant, always by your side

It’s often not possible to record a conversation at a prospect’s location. So Donna calls the salesperson after the visit, collects the necessary information, and automatically updates the CRM. It also drafts a follow-up email to the client or prospect.

‘This reduces the administrative hassle after each sales interaction, giving salespeople more time to sell,’ says Nicolas Christiaen, co-CEO and co-founder of Donna. ‘With Donna, every salesperson gets their own personal assistant at a fraction of the cost.’

Additionally, Donna uses familiar communication channels like WhatsApp, iMessage and email, allowing users to stick with their preferred tools. The AI sales assistant also integrates seamlessly with popular CRM tools like Salesforce and HubSpot.

Serial entrepreneurs in charge

Donna is led by Nicolas Christiaen and Jonas Deprez, two experienced entrepreneurs from the Ghent startup ecosystem. Nicolas founded the fintech company Cashforce, which he sold to German payment platform TIS in 2022. Jonas launched the retail data company Daltix, which was acquired by Colruyt Group in 2023.

Donna was co-founded by Nicolas Christiaen (co-CEO), Jonas Deprez (co-CEO), Xander Berkein (CTO), Lander T’Kindt (CPO) and startup studio StarApps. Xander previously served as Team Lead within Belgian-based unicorn Deliverect, and Lander worked at StarApps, which has produced successful startups like Realo and Bizzy.

International investors

The AI startup is raising $1.6 million from a select group of funds and experienced entrepreneurs based in the US and Europe, led by Pitchdrive.

About StarApps

StarApps is a venture builder from Ghent that turns innovative ideas into successful scale-ups. The studio was founded by the entrepreneurs who founded Netlog, Twoo, Delta, Realo, Rydoo and Pitchdrive, among others. Of the ten intended ventures, four have already been founded: FixForm (building management platform), Introw (collaboration platform for sales), Bizzy (B2B prospecting platform) and Donna (AI assistant for sales).

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