[Funding alert] Salesken raises $8M in Series A round from Sequoia India

Bengaluru-based startup SalesKen.ai recently announced that it has raised $8 million in Series A funding from Sequoia India. The round also saw investors such as Unitus Ventures and Michael and Susan Dell Foundation making a partial exit from the startup.

According to the Salesken.ai, the funds will be used for further development of the startup's AI-based conversation intelligence platform and expansion across the Asia-Pacific and North American markets. 

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Founded by Sreeraman Vaidyanathan and Surga Thilakan, Salesken.ai provides sales professionals with intelligence on various aspects of the sales pitch, from lead qualification to navigating pricing discussions. They can also gauge the sentiments of their customers during the conversation.

Speaking on what the startup solves, Surga Thilakan, Co-founder and CEO, Salesken.ai, stated,

“Companies squander a third of their customer acquisition costs on preventable lead losses. They also face the unpredictability of sales outcomes and an inability to replicate success at scale. Salesken.ai helps them by enabling sales teams in real-time during their customer conversations, and in adopting a more scientific approach to sales management.”

Salesken’s proprietary technology does this by using machine learning (ML) and data science tools to learn successful sales tactics used by top-performing salespeople and the best-selling practices across industries. 

Commenting on the fundraise, Shailesh Lakhani, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India LLP, said,

“Inside sales has many unique management, training, and scaling challenges, but is often the most productive form of sales for companies across a range of industries. Salesken enables higher productivity for this segment of users and brings a step function in their performance. We look forward to working with Surga to build a category-leading company.”

Salesken.ai also provides sales leaders with unparalleled visibility via qualitative analytics on knowledge or skill gaps within their teams.

(Edited by Suman Singh)