A Gold Coast startup using artificial intelligence to manage admin for tradies and service businesses has raised $5 million in Seed funding.
The round for Sophiie AI was backed by Archangel Ventures, Admiralty Capital Group, Antler, Gandel Invest and Aussie Angels, and values the business at $30m. The funds will go towards product development, adding headcount and international expansion, including the US later this year.
Cofounders Jacob Banks, Luke Kelleher, and Juan Castro launched Sophiie in 2024 as an AI-powered administrative and virtual receptionist for tradies.
Sophiie tackles a key challenge: time lost to admin- an estimated 16 hours a week – from dealing with work enquiries while also coordinating tradies, schedules, jobs, quotes, invoices and customer communication. The startup recently launched a new version of its platform, evolving from an AI receptionist into an AI operating system.
Tackling admin with AI
Banks, Sophiie CEO, previously built an online marketplace featuring more than 35,000 trades businesses, saw firsthand the pressure admin puts on someone like a plumber or electrician, taking them away from their actual job.
“We started Sophiie to take that burden away. With our new platform, we’re going much further. We’re building an AI operating system that can sit at the centre of a service business and help manage the journey from the first customer enquiry through to getting the job done and getting paid.”
“This $5 million round gives us the capital to take what we’ve built in Australia and scale it internationally. We already have thousands of businesses using Sophiie across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and we’re seeing 10-15% growth month-on-month.
“We believe there is an enormous opportunity to build the global AI operating system for trades.”
Admiralty Capital Group’ founding partner Amanda Andriano said the Sophiie team consistently delivered against ambitious milestones
“From our earliest conversations, it was clear Jacob, Luke and Juan weren’t simply building another AI application,” she said.
“They had a deep understanding of one of the largest and most underserved sectors of the market, and a clear vision for how artificial intelligence could fundamentally transform the way trades and service businesses operate.”
Banks believes AI can fundamentally change the economics of scaling a service business.
“The next generation of trades businesses won’t operate the way they have for the past 20 years,” he said.
“AI will be involved in almost every part of the operation. Our goal is to make that incredibly simple: Sophiie should understand your customers, your jobs and your team, and then take care of as much of the work around them as possible.”
Sophiie AI is a finalist in the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards in the AI Gamechanger category. This winners will be announced in Sydney at a gala dinner on September 10. Tickets are on sale now.
