Zero Raises $10.3M to Replace CRM Systems with AI

The big picture: Zero, a Helsinki-headquartered startup founded by Tuomo Riekki and Santtu Koivumäki, has raised a $10.3 million seed round, bringing its total funding to $13 million. The company, which also has an office in New York, aims to develop AI agents that can replace conventional CRM systems. More information can be found at zero.inc.

Why it matters:

• Market Opportunity: The CRM software market, valued at approximately $287.26 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $633.34 billion by 2030, indicating significant growth and demand for innovative solutions.
• Experienced Founders: Co-founders Riekki and Koivumäki previously built and sold Smartly.io, an enterprise sales platform that grew to 1,000 employees, providing them with deep domain expertise in the sales technology landscape.
• Addressing User Pain Points: Traditional CRM systems often suffer from low adoption rates among salespeople due to their complexity and manual data entry requirements, a problem Zero aims to solve with automated AI agents.

How it works:

• Ambient Monitoring: Zero’s AI agents operate in the background, continuously monitoring conversations across various platforms, including WhatsApp, LinkedIn direct messages, and social media comments.
• Automated Data Management: The system automatically takes notes, keeps CRM records current, and monitors customer engagement, eliminating the need for manual input from sales teams.
• Proactive Lead Generation: The AI agents can assist with identifying leads, such as pinpointing specific types of businesses in a given region, and support the building of sales campaigns.

The catch: The CRM market is highly competitive, featuring established giants like Salesforce and HubSpot, as well as well-funded AI-native rivals such as Attio (total funding $116M) and Clay (Series D at $7.1B valuation). Zero’s 13-member team must demonstrate that its ambient monitoring approach offers a distinct and superior value proposition compared to existing solutions and automated outbound messaging, especially given the intense competition and the need to prove its model quickly.