Indian venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has backed Smallest.ai in its Series A funding round, while UAE’s Bundle has raised $5.5 million in funding.
3one4 backs voice AI startup Smallest.ai in $13m Series A round
Indian venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has backed voice artificial intelligence startup Smallest.ai in a $13 million Series A funding round, joining Seligman Ventures and Sierra Ventures, according to an announcement.
The latest round brings Smallest.ai’s total funding to more than $21 million, as it develops a small, specialised voice model aimed at making AI-powered customer support conversations sound more human.
Founder and CEO Sudarshan Kamath said the startup is focused on replicating the way people naturally listen, think and speak simultaneously, rather than relying solely on large language models (LLMs), which can introduce noticeable delays in voice conversations.
Kamath said future AI voice agents are likely to combine two models: a lightweight voice model for real-time conversations and a larger offline LLM for handling more complex requests.
Its customers include RingCentral and Truecaller, while potential users include customer support software providers.
In June, 3one4 Capital closed a $15-million fund with backing from the UK’s development finance institution, British International Investment (BII), to invest in what it describes as “underrepresented founders”.
UAE’s Bundle raises $5.5m pre-seed round
Bundle, a UAE-based rewards platform, has announced raising $5.5 million in a pre-seed funding round co-anchored by Ethereal Ventures and Further Ventures.
The startup said it will use the fresh capital to accelerate product development, expand regulatory coverage, build strategic partnerships, and roll out its platform in Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Bundle said it operates a shared rewards network that allows businesses, particularly SMEs, to pool their marketing budgets into common reward pools, giving customers the chance to win larger prizes.
CEO Bader Al Kalooti said the platform aims to help SMEs compete with larger companies by making high-value customer incentives more accessible through a shared rewards model.
“Most businesses, particularly SMEs, cannot afford to offer rewards large enough to capture customers’ attention. Bundle changes that,” Kalooti added.
