As companies scramble to stay competitive, the need to adopt AI has become increasingly pressing. However, integrating these technologies can be a challenge. Team-GPT, a Bulgarian startup, believes it has the solution.
Founded in 2023 by Illiya Valchanvov, Ilko Kacharvo, Yavor Belakov, Katya Vaptsarova, and Maria Valchanova, Team-GPT offers a software suite of AI tools, including popular models like ChatGPT and Claude, that can be easily integrated into companies’ existing systems.
“If you use your own models, you can deploy this on-premises and never share your data with OpenAI or Anthropic,” Valchanvov told TechCrunch, highlighting the privacy benefits of the platform.
In addition to the AI tools, Team-GPT also provides online courses on how to effectively utilize these technologies and enterprise-level features such as platform administration and group mapping.
The startup has already secured Salesforce and Johns Hopkins University as clients, along with 45,000 other customers. This week, Team-GPT announced a $4.5 million seed round led by True Ventures, with participation from Pact and angel investors, including former OpenAI employees.
As a founder based outside of Silicon Valley, Valchanvov acknowledged that fundraising was a challenge. “As we are Silicon Valley outsiders, who wanted to raise in Silicon Valley,” he said, the team traveled to London to meet with European VCs and then spent two months in San Francisco building relationships to secure the investment.
Team-GPT faces competition from the likes of OpenAI, Claude, Dust, and Langdock, but the company’s focus on serving mid-to-large-sized companies with customization and on-premises deployment sets it apart, according to Valchanvov.
With the new funding, Team-GPT plans to expand its team and accelerate product delivery, helping more businesses seamlessly integrate AI into their operations.
