AI startup Rep.ai raises $7.5M to launch ‘digital twin’ sales representatives

Rep.ai, a startup aiming to transform online sales interactions, has raised $7.5 million in funding to launch its AI-powered “digital twin” technology. The company, formerly known as ServiceBell, is rebranding and pivoting to focus on creating lifelike AI avatars that can engage website visitors in real-time video and audio conversations.

Founded by Daniel Ternyak, Rep.ai’s technology creates digital replicas of a company’s sales representatives, allowing these AI avatars to interact with potential customers 24/7. The system combines visual and voice replication with natural language processing trained on a company’s marketing materials and CRM data.

“Our goal is to kind of try to actually provide a human-like experience without human constraint,” Ternyak said in an interview with VentureBeat. “Availability being the biggest constraint to having these quality conversations.”

AI sales reps: Bridging the gap between chatbots and humans

The technology aims to bridge the gap between impersonal chatbots and human sales representatives, offering a more engaging experience for website visitors while freeing up human staff from constant availability.

Rep.ai’s approach stands out in the crowded AI chatbot market by offering video and audio interactions through what Ternyak calls “digital twins” of actual sales representatives. “To my knowledge, we’re the first to build it,” he stated, referring to the ability to speak to and see video of an AI clone of a sales representative in real-time on a website.

The company plans to use the funding to further develop its AI models and hire top engineering talent. Investors include Browder Capital, Gradient, and M[X]V.

Ethical considerations and market challenges for AI-powered sales

While the technology shows promise, it also raises ethical questions about the use of employee likenesses in AI avatars. Ternyak addressed these concerns, saying, “It goes back again to consent, where the sales rep has to actually want there to be this representation of themselves.”

As businesses seek more efficient ways to engage potential customers online, Rep.ai’s technology could represent a significant shift in how companies approach web-based sales interactions. However, the startup will need to navigate both technological challenges and potential user skepticism as it brings its product to market.

The launch of Rep.ai comes at a time when major tech companies are also pushing into the AI agent space, with recent announcements from Salesforce, Google, and Anthropic. Rep.ai will need to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive market.

As the technology develops, it remains to be seen how customers will respond to these AI-powered digital twins and whether they can truly replicate the nuanced interactions of human sales representatives. Rep.ai’s success may hinge on striking the right balance between AI efficiency and maintaining the human touch in sales conversations.