Dear VC, angel investor, and anyone with money to invest in startups, Marko here, CEO and co-founder of Luccid.ai. I have some interesting updates about our progress, but first, let’s shine the spotlight on two new startups that caught my eye.

P.s. I need some testimonials, so be a good VC and write a brief review of this newsletter, even if it is bad. It will help me get more of your competitors to read it. 😉 

Today’s stories: Lightning-Fast Scientific R&D w/ Kleos, Text-to-Pitch Deck w/ Zapdeck, Luccid.ai Pivot?

1. Kleos.ai

Have you ever found yourself buried under a mountain of research papers, constantly stumbling upon irrelevant data, yet somehow missing the crucial pieces you actually need? Of course not, you are a VC 🙂 

But believe it or not, companies are struggling with these problems daily. The team at KLEOS.AI, operating in the B2B segment with a €16.3 billion TAM, decided to tackle a significant challenge. They aim to assist technology firms by enhancing their R&D processes, saving them roughly a month of work each year.

Why are they interesting?

KLEOS.AI has developed the so-called “Context Search” for Patents & Science. Think of it like a highly advanced research tool tailored for digging through vast amounts of scientific documents and patents. Instead of manually sorting through potentially irrelevant information, this tool intelligently understands the context of your search query. It then pulls the most relevant data related to patents and scientific research, much like an extremely efficient and specialized academic search engine.

This blew my mind: They've built this system from the ground up, including their unique database and AI algorithms that they train on their own specialized hardware.

This allows them to optimize the system specifically for their needs, making it 24 times faster than similar tools available on the market. This significant performance boost enables companies to accelerate their innovation cycles by quickly accessing and utilizing the right scientific and patent information.

The Team

Dr. Lennart Weiß (CEO) brings a unique blend of experience to the table, having served as a Formula 1 Engineer at Toyota Motorsport and spending five years as a Patent Engineer.

Dr. Hardy Köke (CTO) is a seasoned professional with 14 years of R&D experience in Deep Learning at the German Aerospace Center. He is not active on LinkedIn, choosing instead to embrace the principle of Deep Work to maintain focus and productivity.

If you want to get any reply, better write Lennart: [email protected]

They have been collaborating for 14 years, working together on various international industry projects.

Traction

Since its beta launch six months ago, KLEOS.AI has rapidly gained traction, amassing 3200 freemium users. They’ve also successfully transitioned to securing first-paying customers in the biotech sector, achieving €1500 in MRR.

KLEOS.AI is currently in the pre-seed stage, having successfully bootstrapped and secured €187k in grant funding from a High Tech Incubator.

The momentum is building as they aim to raise €1 million, with 75% already committed by a leading German Tech VC and a prominent Business Angel.

The train is leaving the station! Join them now to be a part of a transformative venture that's shaping the future. This is a pivotal moment in their journey and the best time for forward-thinking investors to get involved.

2. Zapdeck

This one will resonate with you. How likely that you are sifting through countless pitch decks and presentations every day? Many get lost in the chaos of your inbox, others are plain dumb, and a few might even make you roll your eyes. But then, some grab your attention immediately. Why? Because they tell a compelling story that's easy to understand. A poorly crafted presentation just can't deliver that impact.

People at Zapdeck decided to change that and make great presentations on the scale! Zapdeck, based in Berlin, is changing presentation software with cutting-edge AI. Simply input your presentation script and watch as their AI transforms it into slick, customized slides that deliver the message with maximum impact.

Personally, I use Slides and sometimes Pitch, but while these tools are functional, they lack features that could truly enhance my storytelling skills.

Pitch, for example, does offer an AI feature but it only transforms prompts into presentation scripts. This is a feature that founders and consultants might not frequently use. Moreover, Pitch does not provide AI-generated slide designs. Instead, users must fit their content into standard layouts, which limits the potential for truly dynamic presentations.

I don’t want to mention PowerPoint because I would rather send a fax than use it.

Why are they interesting?

Bloomberg forecasts a whopping $89 billion market value for generative AI assistants by 2032. In this booming arena, the global office software market already stands at $25.9 billion, with presentation software carving out a cool $4.9 billion slice. Their initial target group is startup founders and consultants, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it to make your presentations pop! Go make other LPs jealous 😉 

The Team

The team was doing presentations and consulting for a living and they felt the pain firsthand, so now they are scratching their own itch.

Frederik Görtelmeyer, CEO of Zapdeck, brings a rich background as a former BCG consultant and a UX expert in AI and business software at industry giants like SAP and Deutsche Telekom.

Riccardo Tartari, the CTO of Zapdeck, has 15 years of experience as a technical CPO, developing AI products for companies like Mobimeo and Onefootball.

Traction

Zapdeck hit the ground running at the end of 2022, fueled by public funding from MIZ Babelsberg. The team swiftly moved from idea to action, crafting a high-quality functional prototype that's already impressed initial beta testers. Anticipation is high, with a market launch set for September this year.

In preparation, the team engaged with over 30 experts to fine-tune user requirements and ensure the product meets real-world needs. This approach has generated significant interest, culminating in a waiting list of over 500 users.

Now, Zapdeck is preparing to raise a €600k pre-seed round from angel investors.

Are you ready to invest in the next generation of presentation software? Reach out to them and don’t miss this opportunity: [email protected]

Luccid’s storytime

Exciting news: We've been accepted into the UnternehmerTUM Xpreneurs Accelerator, hailed by the FT as Europe's top startup hub. This prestigious opportunity has significantly expanded our network, notably linking us with Nemetschek, one of the largest software producers in the AEC industry.

After interviewing more than 200 architects, who we believed were our ideal customers, we discovered this:

• They are broke as fuck and very price sensitive.

• They are skeptics and very, very… very late adopters.

• They all feel the pain we want to solve, but they like complaining more.

• They are not as tech-savvy as we thought.

• We will never earn a lot from them.

But there is hope! Connection with Nemetschek placed us directly in touch with a potentially new customer persona - the building materials manufacturing companies.

We've learned that companies are investing millions in training their sales, marketing, and tech support teams. Their goal is to engage as early as possible in the building design phase, positioning themselves directly in front of architects (me), interior designers, and contractors.

Here's the issue: their catalogs and technical documentation are overwhelming and disorganized. They consist of thousands of pages that I need to sift through if I intend to incorporate their details into my drawings or implement them on the construction site.

So we decided to replace building regulations with their catalogs and allow users to chat with any building material or product. And guess what?

Knauf and Velux are our first pilot customers with 5 more in the pipeline.

Interested to hear more? Hit me up at [email protected] 

That’s it for this newsletter

As always I am really looking forward to hearing your impressions. It's a work in progress, so any feedback or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Don’t forget testimonials 😉