Rep.aia startup that goals to remodel online sales interactions, has raised $7.5 million in funding to bring its AI-powered “digital twin” technology to market. The company, formerly generally known as ServiceBellis rebranding and is now specializing in creating lifelike AI avatars that may engage website visitors in real-time video and audio conversations.
Founded by Daniel Ternyak, Rep.ai's technology creates digital replicas of an organization's sales reps so these AI avatars can interact with prospects 24/7. The system combines visual and voice replication with natural language processing trained on an organization's marketing materials and CRM data.
“Our goal is to supply a human-like experience without human limitations,” Ternyak said in an interview with VentureBeat. “Availability is the most important limitation to those high-quality conversations.”
AI Sales Reps: Bridging the Gap Between Chatbots and Humans
The technology goals to bridge the gap between impersonal chatbots and human sales reps, providing website visitors with a more engaging experience while relieving human staff of the must be continually available.
Rep.ai's approach stands out within the crowded AI chatbot market by offering video and audio interactions through what Ternyak calls “digital twins” of real sales reps. “As far as I do know, we're the primary to construct something like this,” he explained, referring to the power to talk over with and watch a video of an AI clone of a sales rep in real time on an internet site.
The company plans to make use of the funding to further develop its AI models and hire highly talented engineers. Investors include Browder Capital, Gradient and M(X)V.
Ethical considerations and market challenges for AI-supported sales
While the technology is promising, it also raises ethical questions on using worker likenesses in AI avatars. Ternyak addressed these concerns, saying, “Once again, it comes all the way down to consent, where the sales rep has to really want that representation of themselves to exist.”
As firms search for more efficient ways to succeed in prospects online, Rep.ai's technology could represent a big shift in the way in which firms approach web-based sales interactions. But the startup could have to beat each technological challenges and potential user skepticism because it brings its product to market.
Rep.ai's launch comes at a time when major technology firms are also moving into the AI agent space, with recent announcements from Salesforce, Google and Anthropic. Rep.ai needs to distinguish itself in an increasingly competitive market.
As the technology evolves, it stays to be seen how customers reply to these AI-powered digital twins and whether or not they can truly replicate the nuanced interactions of human sales reps. Rep.ai's success may depend upon finding the appropriate balance between AI efficiency and maintaining the human touch in sales conversations.
