Luzia, a startup that offers an artificial intelligence assistant accessible via WhatsApp and Telegram, has secured €9.5 million in its third funding round. Notable investors such as Khosla Ventures, Abstract Ventures, FJ Labs, Globo Ventures, and former basketball player Pau Gasol through Gasol16 Ventures have led this operation.
The infusion of capital will facilitate the implementation of new features, enhancing service quality and user experience. Additionally, it will support the expansion into new territories, talent acquisition, and the solidification of Luzia’s position as the leading AI assistant for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries. With this latest funding, the total investment in Luzia reaches €12.2 million.
Gasol said, “This innovative project is dedicated to making artificial intelligence accessible to people worldwide. Ensuring access to this transformative technology is essential for all. Initiatives like this one represent the future and progress.”
Presently active in Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, Luzia has approximately one million users in its home country, posing roughly 35 million inquiries to the AI system through chat. Despite being only six months old, the company aims to leverage the newly acquired funds to expand its user base, attract fresh talent, and bolster its team of AI experts and developers. Globally, Luzia boasts a user count of 17 million.
To facilitate expansion, Luzia will focus on venturing into untapped markets and reinforcing its development team based in Spain. The company has handled a total of 880 million queries and provides various functions, including transcribing audio messages to text and generating images. Apart from Spain, Luzia’s key markets include Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. Users can access the assistant by adding the provided contact to their phone book and communicating via WhatsApp or Telegram.
Simultaneously, the startup exemplifies the growing emphasis on AI among similar ventures in Spain. Reports indicate that one in every four startups has integrated this technology into its operational framework.
Luzia’s CEO Álvaro Higes added: “This investment represents a significant stride toward realizing Luzia’s mission: to democratize the power of artificial intelligence and bridge the technological divide. Our goal is to make Luzia the most user-friendly and efficient personal assistant globally.”
Notably, Luzia finds extensive application in education, potentially serving as a valuable aid in studying and language acquisition. Founded in 2023, the solution is offered free of charge and performs a range of tasks, including resolving queries, providing recommendations, composing texts, transcribing audio, generating images, and translating text, among other functionalities.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/?p=270529
