Helsinki's Stealth Black raises €1.1 million for AI that 'negotiates better than a human being'

Helsinki-based AI startup Stealth Black has raised €1.1 million to continue developing its technology “that negotiates better than a human being.” The funding came from Finnish VC Inventure and Denmark’s byFounders, as well as angel investors Mikko Hyppönen and Ali Omar.

Founded this year, the company has trained its AI technology to see routine negotiations, like getting a tenant to an empty office, “as games that start somewhere and end somewhere, including only a limited amount of possible moves,” said CEO and co-founder Tuomas Rasila. “From this – to let the negotiations begin – all we need is an interface, which converts these moves into natural language,” he added. With data converted into language, the application can suggest strategic openings, transfers and mutually beneficial solutions to humans who might not otherwise find them. True to its name, the product is currently under the radar, with only a few customers using it over the last several months. Leading up to a wider launch (no indication of when), curious people can sign up to the waiting list on Stealth Black’s home page.

In the meantime, the business is preparing to expand first in the Nordics and then elsewhere in Europe. Hiring comes first. “We are now a group of ten, but with funding, we will increase the size and know-how of our team,” says CTO and co-founder Antti Lehtimäki. “In the short term, we are looking for approximately ten more coders to join our team, while keeping our team small enough for everyone to play a significant role.”