Berlin-based Integral, a FinTech startup innovating accounting, taxation & payroll services for SMEs, today announced its €6.3 million funding round, targeting German SMEs from the professional services sector with its first product launch.
The funding round was led by General Catalyst and Cherry Ventures, with participation from Puzzle Ventures and various European entrepreneurs.
“Our vision is clear: to redefine how SMEs manage accounting, taxation, and payroll. We believe businesses should focus on what matters most – growing their business. Traditional self-service software solutions require substantial time & effort by SMEs – time they cannot spend on growing their business. We want to be the trusted partner for SMEs as they leverage the power of AI to reinvent these operations to be faster and smarter. We are building a platform enabling SMEs to outsource these services entirely,” said Lukas Zörner, Founder of Integral.
Founded in 2024 by Lukas Zörner and Anil Can Baykal, Integral set out to redefine how accounting, taxation and payroll works for SMEs in Europe, starting with Germany. Both founding members are seasoned industry experts who previously Co-founded companies in the financial services space.
According to Integral, Germany’s €45 billion accounting & taxation market is failing its SMEs. German SMEs face some of Europe’s highest tax compliance costs, averaging ~1.9% of their turnover. A critical shortage of skilled professionals — 71% of advisory firms reporting staffing issues — worsens the problem, leading to manual errors and missed deadlines.
Additionally, Integral argues that the industry relies on outdated technology, manual workflows and the lack of a platform that keeps the needs for both SMEs and the advisor in mind. For SMEs, this can translate to high costs, poor service quality, and a lack of real-time insights, ultimately stunting their growth and competitiveness.
Key functionalities of Integral include a central collaboration and communication platform with a partner tax advisor connected to it, a direct integration with customers’ financial tools and AI empowering both SMEs and advisors.
“SMEs are the backbone of Europe’s economy and society, yet they remain underserved when it comes to digital tools for accounting and taxation. We believe Lukas and Anil are exceptional founders with a compelling vision, and have deep experience building financial products for SMEs. We’re excited to partner with them on their mission to help the European economy thrive,” said Zeynep Yavuz, Partner at General Catalyst.
Integral will use the funds to continue building a strong product in close collaboration with its customers and assembling an experienced, dedicated team in Berlin.
“At Cherry, we back founders with the ambition to fundamentally reshape industries,” said Filip Dames, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures. “The Integral team’s bold vision to revolutionise tax and accountancy services for SMEs across Europe tackles a deeply entrenched pain point. Lukas, Anil, and their team are building something transformative, and we’re thrilled to be their partners on this journey.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/integral-bags-e6-3-million-in-a-bid-to-redefine-financial-services-for-smes/
