Artur’In has just given itself the means for its growth. Founded in 2016, the French start-up offers VSEs and SMEs to take charge of their digital communication using artificial intelligence, called Artur.
It has just raised 42 million euros from an American investment fund, Providence Strategic Growth (PSG). A much larger sum than its previous fundraising (15 million), which should allow it to invest in new markets.
“Our clients are local businesses – real estate agents, sports coaches or car dealers – who don’t have the budget, the time, or the skills to be on social media,” says one of the co-founders, Melissa Serfatty.
How it works ?
Concretely, interested companies register online by completing a questionnaire. This allows Artur to identify their activity, the themes they wish to cover on social networks and their geographical area. Then the algorithm gets to work.
“He will search for content and distribute it on social networks; it helps businesses manage their reviews online and can even help with advertising campaigns, ”says Melissa Serfatty. Subscriptions are sold between 189 euros and 299 euros per month – an “affordable price” for companies of 2 to 30 people, underlines the founder.
The IA usually starts from an initial script – “10 tips for finding accommodation”, for example – and pulls it into a video suitable for a local audience. To feed social networks, Artur can also search the internet for a fact, such as a one-off increase in property prices, and paste it on an image, using the company’s color codes.
Three axes of growth
For now, Artur’In is only present in France and the United States. The start-up specializes in seven very specific areas: real estate, insurance, automotive, law, accountancy, doctors and pharmacists, and gyms and other sports coaches.
Fundraising should enable it to attack new markets, while developing abroad. The next two markets targeted will be human resources (recruitment and interim firm) and agrifood (supermarkets, wine merchants, etc.) Artur’In also intends to launch into “several European countries”, without revealing which ones.
In addition, the company wants to continue “to invest in the product”, by recruiting about fifty people. It also means continuing to evolve AI, adding new features including, perhaps, a custom cartoon character.
Finally, Artur’In wants to start working with large accounts – supermarkets or chain of car dealers – who already have a brand image, but want to develop their local communication.
Rapid growth
The company, which does not communicate on its turnover or its results, prides itself on having “100% growth every year”, according to its founder. It has more than 3,000 customers who have taken out monthly subscriptions.
To support customers in their digital communication, artificial intelligence cannot do everything. The company also has human coaches, who regularly call entrepreneurs to take stock of their communication strategy.
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