London 20 April 2022: Futr, the live chat and customer service chatbots leader, has secured new funding from Blackfinch Ventures, a leading technology venture capital firm, and existing investors to continue its mission of using artificial intelligence to disrupt the delivery of customer service. The investment, worth a total of £2.1 million, sees Blackfinch Ventures, a leading tech VC, join Praetura Ventures and the British Robotics Fund in supporting Futr. With cutting edge technology, an exceptional team and a growing and diverse customer base, this new round of funding is testament to Futr’s proven success. 

Over the past year, the company has seen significant new client wins in policing, social housing and retail, and has also expanded its own workforce with hires in engineering, customer success and sales. 

Today’s customers expect organisations to be accessible around the clock. Futr’s live chat and chatbot platform make this possible by supercharging customer service teams. From multilingual live chat and two-way connections on all social channels, Futr provides superpowers to service teams, allowing them to serve their customers more effectively.

Futr will use this new investment to continue its mission to disrupt how customer service is delivered and experienced.

Andy Wilkins, co-founder and CEO at Futr, said “Interest in intelligent chat solutions has exploded, as more organisations realise that this is accessible platform technology they can deploy instantly which completely changes how they deliver customer service. It is testament to our progress as a business and the appetite from our customers that we’re welcoming Blackfinch as an investor, along with increased support from Praetura and the British Robotics Fund.”

Dr Reuben Wilcock, head of ventures at Blackfinch, said “At Blackfinch Ventures we strive to invest in disruptive companies with talented founders that are addressing real world needs. Futr is an exact match on all three values, with the quality of its technology shining through as well as the experience of its brilliant team. 

“We are delighted that Andy and Lee [CTO and co-founder] see the value of having Blackfinch as an investment partner and look forward to playing an important role in furthering Futr’s growth ambitions.”

David Foreman, MD Praetura Ventures said: “As a world leader in messenger technology, it’s been incredible to watch Futr use their skills for such a broad range of problems faced by so many different industries. From mental health charities to police responses, they’ve grown a great team and we’re excited for their next chapter. This latest round of investment will help them bring their bots to more service teams around the world and forge new partnerships.”

Futr previously raised £2.4 million from Praetura Ventures in 2019. 

ENDS

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About Futr 

Futr is a VC backed tech start-up with the mission of delivering superpowers to support teams everywhere.  From out of hours self-serve chatbots to making live chat agents instantly multilingual on any social or chat channel, Futr’s superpowers are transforming the way organisations serve their audiences. Founded in 2017 by Andy Wilkins and Lee Skyrme, Futr’s live chat and customer service chatbots are powering clients across a range of industries, including housing, the police, central and local government and a number of leading private sector organisations. For more information, visit www.futr.ai.  

About Blackfinch

Blackfinch is an award-winning investment specialist and trusted provider working in partnership with advisers. Based in Gloucester and employing more than 120 full-time members of staff, it has a heritage dating back 25 years. Its businesses cover tax-efficient solutions, early-stage investing, managed portfolio services and property financing, and it is entrusted with over £650 million in assets under management and administration. 

Inspired by the work of Charles Darwin and founded on evolutionary principles, Blackfinch adapts to and evolves with customer requirements, helping others to thrive. In 2020, the group announced the launch of its rebrand, which reflects its focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

As part of the rebrand, the investment specialist introduced a series of sub-sites for its businesses, which cover property and energy, ventures, investments, and asset management, along with a new site for Blackfinch Group.