OpenDialog launches with $5M seed funding

New company behind conversational AI platform over-subscribed for initial finance round as investors see opportunity in projected $46bn market

Terry Walby, founder of Thoughtonomy (sold to Blue Prism for $100m), amongst co-founders of OpenDialog AI Ltd

Unlocking The Potential Of Conversational AI – Develop Rich Conversational Interfaces To Your Business Systems And Processes In A Fraction Of The Time And Cost Compared To Traditional Approaches

Changing The Future Of Human And Computer Interaction -OpenDialog provides a completely unique approach to developing rich conversational interfaces to your systems and business processes

OpenDialog AI Ltd. (OpenDialog AI), a newly launched company setting out to unlock the potential of conversational AI technology, has raised $5m in its initial seed round of funding.

The funding was secured in only four weeks, with an oversubscription of potential investors, indicative of a sector that is expected to grow to an estimated $46bn market globally by 2028, according to Data Bridge. The investment will be used for further product development and to support expansion plans in the UK and other major markets globally.

The founding team behind OpenDialog AI includes technology entrepreneur, Terry Walby – founder and CEO of Thoughtonomy, which sold to Blue Prism for $100M in 2019, Dean Chapman, who was previously the Chief Commercial Officer of Thoughtonomy, and Dr. Ronald Ashri who led the research on which OpenDialog’s AI capabilities are built.

Dr Ashri has overseen the incubation of the technology since its initial inception in 2019, working with experts in the field and validating with potential clients and use cases to create a market ready, enterprise class SaaS platform. The three co-founders came together to commercialise and further develop the product to address the challenges and issues with existing conversational AI technologies and build an ambitious new company in the space – one that will transform how humans interact with machines.

Terry Walby, co-founder of OpenDialog AI commented: “OpenDialog will finally enable businesses and consumers to realize the game-changing potential of conversational AI – moving beyond the often painful experiences delivered by current chatbots and AI assistants. The market has been crying out for a solution like this, one that not only drives real operational efficiencies but also enhances and joins up customer experience across a wide range of channels.”

Walby continued: “We’ve brought together a highly experienced team that is incredibly excited about the potential of this technology, and this initial round of funding will enable us to quickly scale the business and build on the foundations that are already in place.”

OpenDialog is a conversational AI platform to design, develop and deploy smarter human-to-machine conversations. It enables brands to have truly engaging interactions and has already secured several high-profile brands as customers including; BDO, Peppercorn Insurance and The Cyber Helpline.

Commenting on the impact of OpenDialog, Daniel Gweder, head of innovation, BDO Switzerland, said, “OpenDialog enables us to provide innovative and automated support for our clients in a highly regulated environment. To my knowledge, it is the only tool to provide such a seamless integration of services and technologies to support our collaboration with clients”.

OpenDialog delivers value to enterprises of all sizes and across virtually every industry and, being a SaaS product, it’s extremely easy and quick to implement. OpenDialog has a  no-code conversation designer which enables businesses to create amazing customer experiences that are immediately deployable. Recent use cases include a legal firm using the platform to triage eligibility of applicants for a class action lawsuit, a pharmaceutical company interacting with people reporting adverse effects from their drugs, and a challenger within the insurance market deploying the platform across its customer-facing channels to deliver market leading efficiencies.

Commenting on the technology, Dr. Ronald Ashri, co-founder of OpenDialog AI, said: “Conversational AI is changing how humans use computer systems. For the last 40 years, the way people interact with machines has remained the same – a keyboard, a mouse and a screen. We have to understand how to use the machines in a way that fits into their very narrow and limited capabilities for interaction. But we’re turning this on its head, putting the onus on technology to understand humans. OpenDialog, through a novel combination of AI techniques, introduces a new approach for facilitating natural, context-rich conversations with machines and makes these capabilities easily accessible to all enterprises.”

Get In Touch For A Showcase Of How OpenDialog Can Help Your Business Deploy Conversational AI, At Scale. For more information on Opendialog, please visit https://opendialog.ai/

Key differentiators

A New And Completely Different Approach To Human-To-Machine Interactions

Starting with the fundamental principles of human conversation.

Specifically focusing on context to create a simple to use framework for building rich conversational experiences.

Develop Complex, Contextually Aware Conversational Interactions

In Half The Time And Half The Cost

Eliminate the need for large teams of expensive technical resources

Significantly reduce ongoing change management requirements

Deflect more conversations away from expensive human resources

Best in class conversation completion rates

Much better exception management

About OpenDialog

OpenDialog AI Ltd. (OpenDialog AI) is a conversational AI platform to design, develop and deploy smarter human-to-machine conversations. It enables enterprises of all sizes and across virtually every industry to have truly engaging interactions. It is a SaaS-based product so is extremely easy and quick to implement, while its no-code conversation designer which enables businesses to create amazing customer experiences that are immediately deployable. Its customers include BDO, Peppercorn Insurance and The Cyber Helpline.

Terry Walby

A technology entrepreneur, innovator, and passionate advocate of continually pushing ones boundaries, questioning the status quo, trying new things and continually learning both through successes and failures.

What is a User Journey

Erin Lanahan • 19th April 2024

User journey mapping is the compass guiding businesses to customer-centric success. By meticulously tracing the steps users take when interacting with products or services, businesses gain profound insights into user needs and behaviors. Understanding users’ emotions and preferences at each touchpoint enables the creation of tailored experiences that resonate deeply. Through strategic segmentation, persona-driven design,...

From Shadow IT to Shadow AI

Mark Molyneux • 16th April 2024

Mark Molyneux, EMEA CTO from Cohesity, explains the challenges this development brings with it and why, despite all the enthusiasm, companies should not repeat old mistakes from the early cloud era.

Fixing the Public Sector IT Debacle

Mark Grindey • 11th April 2024

Public sector IT services are no longer fit for purpose. Constant security breaches. Unacceptable downtime. Endemic over-spending. Delays in vital service innovation that would reduce costs and improve citizen experience.

Best of tech to meet at VivaTech in May

Viva Technology • 10th April 2024

A veritable crossroads for business and innovation, VivaTech once again promises to show why it has become an unmissable stop on the international business calendar. With its expanding global reach and emphasis on crucial themes like AI, sustainable tech, and mobility, VivaTech stands as the premier destination for decoding emerging trends and assessing their economic...

Enabling “Farm to Fork” efficiency between supermarkets & producers

Neil Baker • 03rd April 2024

Today, consumers across the UK are facing a cost of living crisis. As a result, many retailers and supermarkets are striving to keep their costs down, so that they can avoid passing these onto shoppers. Within this, one area that is increasingly under scrutiny for many organisations surrounds how to improve supply chain efficiency. This...

Addressing Regulatory Compliance in Government-Owned, Single-Use Devices

Nadav Avni • 26th March 2024

Corporate-owned single-use (COSU) devices, also known as dedicated devices, make work easier for businesses and many government agencies. They’re powerful smart devices that fulfil a single purpose. Think smart tablets used for inventory tracking, information kiosks, ATMs, or digital displays. But, in a government setting, these devices fall under strict regulatory compliance standards.

Advantages of Cloud-based CAD Solutions for Modern Designers

Marius Marcus • 22nd March 2024

Say goodbye to the days of clunky desktop software chaining us to specific desks. Instead, we’re stepping into a new era fueled by cloud CAD solutions. These game-changing tools not only offer designers unmatched flexibility but also foster collaboration and efficiency like never before!