Slang.ai, an AI phone concierge for restaurants and retailers, has raised $20m in a series A funding round led by Homebrew. The platform takes over the phone system of a business and acts as a more advanced version of the automated phone menu. The generative AI-powered system is designed to eliminate waiting time and free up employee time. The funding will be used to enhance the software and the generative AI powering it. The startup has onboarded over 200 customers, including Palm House Hospitality Group, Slutty Vegan, Hammitt and Nikki Beach Miami.
Voice AI for restaurants and retail has increased in popularity in recent years. While Slang.ai’s focus on phone calls may not immediately overlap with a drive-thru, the company will find competition from players such as SoundHound, which has moved into the restaurant space and incorporated generative AI into all of its products. Slang.ai, which is emerging from stealth, is also aiming to entice retailers intrigued by generative AI. The AI is customised for its clients with unique voices, background sounds and multiple language options.
Slang.ai CEO Alex Sambvani said customers have long experienced the frustrating process of being put on hold when calling a business, but the platform offers them a better way. The startup aims to provide a truly delightful audio experience and help everyone realise that great automated customer experiences are possible. Other restaurant voice AI startups include Presto Automation, which has embedded ChatGPT’s API into its drive-thru voice assistants, and Valyant AI, which developed its own. Recently, Wendy’s and Google Cloud experimented with a generative AI-powered voice assistant at a drive-thru.