Rotterdam-based Engaige, an AI-powered customer service automation platform, announced that it has raised €1M in an oversubscribed seed round of funding.
The round was led by the Graduate Entrepreneur Fund, with participation from Mamadoo Ventures, Keadyn, and other angel investors.
The funds will be used to expand the team and accelerate the international rollout of Engaige’s secure and scalable customer service automation platform. The platform automates communication across multiple channels, including chat, WhatsApp, and email.
Tijmen van den Elzen, co-founder and CEO of Engage, says, “We’re focused on automating customer service for companies with more complex needs—those that see AI as a key part of their strategy and want a secure, reliable way to implement it.
“Our platform lets businesses automate tasks just like a human agent would, while keeping CSAT high and reducing costs with up to 80 per cent.”
Improving customer satisfaction with AI
Founded by Tijmen van den Elzen, Rory McElearney, Hans Scheffer and Michael Heerkens, Engaige aims to transform customer support by offering scalable, secure, and reliable AI-powered solutions.
The platform helps companies streamline customer service, reduce costs, and enhance satisfaction while integrating with existing customer support systems for quick AI adoption.
Engaige’s automation platform utilises Agentic AI and large language models to streamline various tasks, such as resending orders and providing customer updates, while operating within the specific constraints of a business. This technology enables companies to enhance efficiency and improve customer service.
Rory McElearney, co-founder and CTO, says, “Our founding team has over 20 years of experience in scaling international customer service teams for large international companies, and this gives us a unique understanding of how to automate these processes in a customer-friendly way.”
“We know that simply adding AI doesn’t solve all support challenges. That’s why we always bring in skilled implementation teams to make each project successful, aligning the solution with our client’s specific needs and preparing organisations for automation.”
Co-founder Tijmen van den Elzen, adds, “We all had frustrating experiences in customer service, especially when it comes to chatbots. With our technology, our clients’ customers now have instant, 24/7 access to high-quality support in all languages, with the quality as a human agent- or better.”
“As AI becomes more prevalent, consumers will expect this level of service, and businesses that don’t adopt AI will fall far behind. Our platform lets businesses decide which communication should be automated and which should be handled by live agents.”
“For those who don’t want full automation, we also offer AI-generated, pre-written responses that service agents can use, significantly improving efficiency while maintaining that human touch.”
Tijmen van den Elzen emphasised the advantages of using professional solutions like Engaige, stating that proper setup and implementation can yield significant benefits for both companies and their customers.
He noted that Engaige’s clients are experiencing increased customer satisfaction and cost reductions of up to 80 per cent while maintaining constant availability.
Van den Elzen also expressed confidence that as businesses increasingly explore the integration of technology with human interaction, this trend will shape the future of customer support.
Graduate Entrepreneur Fund hits 50th investment
The Graduate Entrepreneur Fund is a €58M early-stage investment fund backed by serial entrepreneurs from the Delft and Rotterdam ecosystems. It offers capital and support to startups through a network of over 175 entrepreneurs and focuses on a tech-agnostic approach.
Auke van den Hout, Managing Partner from the Graduate Entrepreneur Fund, announced that its latest investment in Engaige is the 50th addition to its portfolio, marking a milestone for the fund.
He says, “This milestone marks an important chapter for our fund, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate it by investing in a company as promising as Engaige. AI automation is still in its early stages, and the businesses that will succeed are those that combine innovative technology with a strong understanding of real-world business processes.”
“Engaige’s solution has already proven its value to larger companies, showing that it can significantly improve customer service efficiency without sacrificing quality. We believe Engaige is set to be a leader in this field, making it the perfect choice for this milestone investment in our journey,” adds van den Hout.
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