Glade Brook Leads $25M Bet On Artisan, The AI Startup Backed By Y Combinator, HubSpot, And Sequoia To Replace Human Sales Teams

In a bold move to redefine the sales landscape, Artisan, a San Francisco-based startup, has secured a $25 million Series A funding round.

The round was led by Glade Brook Capital, with participation from notable investors including Y Combinator, HubSpot Ventures HUBS, Oliver Jung, Day One Ventures, BOND, Soma Capital, and Sequoia Scout, according to Artisan.

Don't Miss:

• ‘Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.26/share with a $1000 minimum.
• Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — invest pre-IPO from $0.60 per share now.

Artisan's Origins and Founding Mission

Founded in 2023 by Jaspar Carmichael-Jack and Sam Stallings, Artisan aims to revolutionize the workplace by replacing repetitive tasks with AI employees, known as “Artisans.”

According to the startup’s page, their first product, Ava, is an AI Business Development Representative that automates the entire outbound sales process. Ava identifies leads, conducts research, crafts personalized messages, and schedules meetings across multiple channels, including email and LinkedIn.

Ava is powered by a multi-agent system and a real-time context engine that monitors the web for buying signals such as job changes, new funding, or leadership moves. This allows her to engage prospects at the optimal time with tailored messages. According to Artisan, companies like SumUp have reported receiving eight to 15 positive replies per week from hard-to-reach small and medium-sized businesses without increasing their sales staff.​

Trending: BlackRock is calling 2025 the year of alternative assets. One firm from NYC has quietly built a group of 60,000+ investors who have all joined in on an alt asset class previously exclusive to billionaires like Bezos and Gates.

Ava’s capabilities extend to managing email deliverability with a suite of tools designed to optimize every aspect of email campaigns. This includes email warm-up procedures and placement tests to ensure that emails reach their intended recipients. By automating these processes, Ava allows businesses to scale their outbound sales efforts effortlessly, freeing up valuable time and resources that can be redirected toward other important areas. ​

Artisan’s approach differs from traditional AI integrations by offering fully autonomous AI employees that take over specific job functions. The company believes that AI employees should be held to the same standards as human workers: they must perform their tasks effectively or not at all. This philosophy has driven the development of Ava from a supervised tool to an independent agent capable of managing complex outbound strategies and optimizing for pipeline impact.

What's Next for Artisan

​The recent funding will be used to accelerate research and development, expand the AI workforce, and enhance the Artisan Sales platform. The startup plans to introduce two new AI employees later this year: Aaron, an Inbound SDR Artisan who will qualify and route inbound leads, and Aria, a Meeting Assistant Artisan responsible for scheduling, reminders, and post-call summaries.

See Also: Mark Cuban Backs This Innovative Startup That Turns Videos into Games  — Claim Your Share Now

Artisan’s provocative “Stop Hiring Humans” marketing campaign has sparked conversations about the role of AI in the workplace. While the campaign was designed to attract attention, CEO Carmichael-Jack clarified in a blog that the company’s goal is not to eliminate human workers but to free them from mundane tasks so they can focus on more creative and strategic work.

Scaling Human Talent Alongside AI Innovation

​With a growing team of 35 employees and plans to hire 22 more, Artisan is set to lead the charge in transforming the workplace through AI, according to TechCrunch.

The company’s approach and strong investor backing suggest a promising future for AI-driven automation in business operations.

Read Next:

• Are you rich? Here’s what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy.
• Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.26/share!

Image: Shutterstock