Over 100 million Americans work on the frontlines of the real economy, from contractors to small business owners. For them, the phone remains the core tool for getting work done. Yet, most AI solutions focus on desk workers, leaving these frontline conversations largely invisible to technology.
Beside is changing that by rebuilding the phone for the AI age. The company captures every call and text, turning these interactions into actionable insights that help businesses book jobs, follow up with clients, and grow revenue. With more than 20,000 paying customers and half of those users engaging with the platform 14 times per day, Beside is already becoming indispensable.
Yesterday, the startup raised a $32 million funding round, led by EQT Ventures and joined by Index Ventures and angel investors Stewart Butterfield (Slack), Clément Delangue (Hugging Face), and Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve (Alan), which will accelerate Beside’s research and development. The startup plans to deepen its telephony infrastructure, move toward carrier-level capabilities, and expand globally.
Founded by Maxime Germain, the successful mental health app Jour that was acquired for $20 million. Beside’s mission is to empower workers who rely on phones to run their businesses. He told TFN, “The idea started while I was working on AI tools to assist therapy sessions, exploring how large language models could help therapists capture insights from conversations. I realised the same principle could apply far beyond therapy: every professional relies on conversations to run their business, yet most of that knowledge disappears once the call ends.
Beside’s technology stands out by owning the phone layer itself, not just layering AI atop existing tools. This approach gives the company direct access to real-time conversation data, enabling an AI partner that remembers context, automates follow-ups, and surfaces insights across calls, texts, meetings, and emails. Available across iOS, Android, macOS, and soon Windows, Beside is designed to fit seamlessly into users’ workflows without demanding change.
Germain explained to us, “Beside brings consumer-grade design and reliability to business communication. It’s built to feel as seamless as the apps we use every day, yet powerful enough to run an entire company’s communication layer. We start with individuals who use Beside to handle their calls and messages, and naturally expand across their teams as they see the value compound.”
With strong traction in the U.S. and an ambitious vision, Beside is poised to reshape the very foundation of how businesses connect and grow in the AI era.
Kaushik Subramanian, Partner at EQT Ventures, commented, “We back companies solving real problems today with the potential to reshape entire markets tomorrow and with Beside, we saw bot. It’s designed for the real economy: the millions of workers who rely on their phone to do business, not dashboards and boardroom meetings. The AI-native solution is smart, simple and intuitive for everyday users. But what truly stood out was the ambition.”
