Futr, the live chat and customer service chatbots leader, has just secured new funding of £2.1 million from UK-based VC Blackfinch Ventures and existing investors including Praetura Ventures and the British Robotics Fund to continue its mission of using artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt the delivery of customer service.
Founded in 2017 by Andy Wilkins and Lee Skyrme, Futr’s live chat and customer service chatbots has been a success and the company has seen significant new client wins in policing, social housing, and retail. It has also expanded its workforce with hires in engineering, customer success, and sales.
Today’s customers expect organisations to be accessible around the clock. Futr’s live chat and chatbot platform offers a supercharging customer service teams, multilingual live chat and two-way connections on all social channels.
Andy Wilkins, co-founder and CEO at Futr, said “Interest in intelligent chat solutions has exploded, as more organisations realise that this is accessible platform technology they can deploy instantly which completely changes how they deliver customer service. It is testament to our progress as a business and the appetite from our customers that we’re welcoming Blackfinch as an investor, along with increased support from Praetura and the British Robotics Fund.”
Dr Reuben Wilcock, head of ventures at Blackfinch, said “At Blackfinch Ventures we strive to invest in disruptive companies with talented founders that are addressing real world needs. Futr is an exact match on all three values, with the quality of its technology shining through as well as the experience of its brilliant team.
“We are delighted that Andy and Lee [CTO and co-founder] see the value of having Blackfinch as an investment partner and look forward to playing an important role in furthering Futr’s growth ambitions.”
David Foreman, MD Praetura Ventures said: “As a world leader in messenger technology, it’s been incredible to watch Futr use their skills for such a broad range of problems faced by so many different industries. From mental health charities to police responses, they’ve grown a great team and we’re excited for their next chapter. This latest round of investment will help them bring their bots to more service teams around the world and forge new partnerships.”
