Berlin’s Plato, an AI-based operating system for wholesale distributors, today announced the successful closing of its €12.2 million ($14.5 million) Seed funding round in order to transform the €2.5 trillion ($3 trillion) global trading industry through AI.
The round was led by European VC firm Atomico, with prior investors, including Cherry Ventures, who doubled down. This follows their 2024 €6 million pre-Seed round, as covered by EU-Startups.
“We saw the problems first hand in my familyʼs distribution business and developed Plato with top-tier technologists to rethink the way the industry operates. Weʼre building the AI operating system for distributors, starting with intelligent sales automation. With this funding, weʼre scaling Plato to build a tech champion for the trade economy – from Germany, for the world,ˮ says Benedikt Nolte, CEO at Plato.
In the 2025–2026 period, EU-Startups has reported several funding rounds in adjacent segments to Plato’s AI-enabled wholesale operating system.
In February 2026, Berlin-based Andercore secured €33.5 million to scale its AI-driven industrial trade platform across Europe, expanding digital supply and demand workflows in complex industrial categories; notably, like Plato, Andercore is headquartered in Germany.
In June 2025, Amsterdam’s Delfio raised €1.5 million in pre-Seed funding to develop its automation platform for the international wholesale market, focusing on streamlining procurement and aggregating demand. Meanwhile, London-based Platter closed a €411k pre-Seed round to build an all-in-one wholesale food platform aimed at reducing inefficiencies in ordering and supply.
Taken together, these rounds amount to approximately €35–36 million in disclosed funding flowing into AI-enabled trade, wholesale and B2B operational platforms across Europe during 2025–2026. Within this context, Plato’s €12.2 million Seed round aligns with a broader pattern of investment into vertical software solutions targeting distribution, procurement and sales automation, with Germany emerging as one of the active hubs in this segment.
“What convinced us most about Plato is the rare quality of the founding team. This team truly has a ‘right to win’ in this space, a burning passion for distributors and trade. They bring deep, first-hand industry expertise together with strong technical execution and the ambition to build a category-defining vertical AI company. Wholesalers are urgently looking for industry-specific AI software to solve operational challenges, and Plato is the solution,ˮ adds Andreas Helbig, Partner at Atomico.
Founded in 2023, Plato develops AI-native software that automates core workflows in sales, quoting and ERP operations for distribution businesses. Plato outlines that this is an industry that touches every 5th dollar of the global production output, yet remains critically underserved by modern software.
The company was founded by Benedikt Nolte, Matthias Heinrich Morales and Oliver Birch. They initially built the platform within Benedikt’s family wholesale distribution business, which had been struggling with legacy software systems and labour shortage.
According to the company, the distribution sector is under increasing pressure due to labor shortage, low margins, stagnating economy and the digital expectations of modern B2B buyers. Plato looks to replace manual sales and ERP workflows with agentic AI that directly drives revenue and efficiency.
- Up to 15% revenue uplift through better sales recommendations
- 5h saved per week via automated ERP quoting workflows
- 10x higher sales efficiency via better communication for field- & inside sales
Their solution empowers sales teams with an AI copilot, reportedlyboosting profits, and increasing sales efficiency via AI agents.
The platform unlocks hidden ERP data and automates manual tasks so sales teams can move from reactive to proactive selling. Plato has achieved early success, closing distribution businesses with 6-figure average contract values (ACV). The funding will enable Plato to expand its vertical product offering into customer service and procurement, while supporting its international expansion.
Key platform capabilities include:
- Sales Intelligence: Identifying customer risks and opportunities through proactive AI to drive revenue growth
- Process Automation: Automating repetitive processes such as order handling and
internal communication - Industry Software: Plato is purpose-built for distribution, tailored to the specific needs of wholesalers with large product portfolios
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/02/from-germany-for-the-world-plato-secures-e12-2-million-to-automate-sales-and-erp-workflows-in-distribution/
