Enso Secures $6M Seed Funding to Deliver AI Agents to Small Businesses

Running a small business often means juggling numerous tasks with limited resources.

While AI agents can offer significant help, creating custom agents for specific workflows can still be a challenge, even with the latest low-code/no-code tools.

Enso, a startup emerging from stealth mode, aims to address this by providing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with access to a wide range of preprogrammed AI agents designed to handle repetitive tasks. This initiative was announced alongside a $6 million seed funding round on Tuesday.

Enso, founded by Mickey Haslavsky, who previously co-founded the API development platform RapidAPI, offers industry-specific AI agents to assist with various tasks such as SEO management, Instagram engagement, competitor tracking, newsletter writing, invoice management, and optimizing Amazon stores. These agents are pre-trained and customized for approximately 70 different industries, ranging from accounting to car dealerships, with over 1,000 bots available.

Haslavsky explained that his motivation for Enso stemmed from his parents, who operated a small music production company and a secondary school. He noted that, similar to RapidAPI, Enso is fundamentally focused on integrations.

“When I delved into the AI agent space, I realized its potential to bridge the gap between small and large businesses by providing essential services to smaller businesses via software integrations,” Haslavsky said. “However, I also noticed that existing AI agents were often unreliable. From a business standpoint, automating services that typically cost $1,000 a month can be incredibly valuable.”

Enso's bots aim to blend the predictability of traditional workflow automation with the creativity of large language models (LLMs). For example, a bot managing an Instagram account would follow a set sequence of tasks, with the LLM handling the copy and design within a predefined workflow.

Often, these tasks involve multiple services. Enso offers a podcast agent that scripts podcasts, utilizes ElevenLabs for text-to-speech, a music service for intro and outro segments, and a video service for creating visual content.

Enso's pricing model is à la carte, with access to each agent costing between $29 to $79 per month. Haslavsky chose this model to accommodate SMBs’ budget constraints and to simplify the purchasing process.

The practicality of these bots in real-world scenarios remains to be seen, especially whether businesses will trust AI agents with critical functions. Typically, a human reviews outputs from the podcast and newsletter agents, but if results require significant polishing, a $59+ monthly subscription might be hard to justify. However, agents that create reports or manage SEO might be more easily adopted since they don't require a personal touch.

Looking ahead, Enso plans to offer a marketplace for third-party agents. The team is developing low-code/no-code visual tools to facilitate this but is currently focused on foundational integrations.

Enso's $6 million seed round was led by NFX, with participation from angel investors like Yossi Matias, head of Google Research, and Shmil Levy, former GP at Sequoia Capital.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, yet they have been left behind in the AI revolution,” said Gigi Levy-Weiss, partner at NFX Ventures. “While larger businesses leverage AI for productivity gains, small businesses struggle with basic administrative tasks. Enso democratizes AI by providing enterprise-grade AI to emerging companies. We are excited to support Enso as it transforms the business landscape and empowers traditional businesses to thrive.”