Konvo AI Secures €3.5 Million to Revolutionize E-commerce Service

Berlin-based startup Konvo AI has successfully raised €3.5 million in a seed funding round aimed at transforming e-commerce customer service into a proactive sales engine. The funding was led by Samaipata, with participation from Abac Nest, JME, Itnig, Combination.vc, and new investors including Xavier Pladellorens, founder of Deporvillage, and early Ankorstore executive Tomás Pueyo. With this round, Konvo AI has raised a total of €4.3 million since its inception.

The company seeks to address a common frustration among e-commerce shoppers: the inefficacy of traditional chatbots that often deliver scripted answers without resolving issues. Unlike these conventional systems, Konvo AI’s agents are designed to engage customers proactively, close sales, and manage complex inquiries autonomously. For example, if a customer wishes to cancel an order, Konvo’s AI determines whether the issue is a simple size error and updates the order instead of processing a cancellation.

“Most AI agents follow rigid scripts,” says Guillem Oliva, co-founder of Konvo AI. “Our agents think like human associates and solve the real problem.” He emphasizes that Konvo AI does not rely on fixed workflows. Instead, the company trains its agents to understand the nuances of customer interactions, allowing them to adapt their responses based on individual circumstances.

A Blend of Experience and Ambition

The foundation of Konvo AI was laid when Oliva and co-founder Scott Kapelewski met at a WhatsApp marketing startup called Charles in Berlin. Oliva, a former consultant at McKinsey, had significant experience working with major e-commerce brands, while Kapelewski brought over a decade of technical know-how, including the creation and sale of his own e-commerce solution during high-demand product releases.

The duo’s shared background as high-performance athletes infused their venture with a competitive spirit. “It was clear from the beginning that we were going to build something together,” Oliva recalls. Their complementary skills—Oliva’s market expertise and Kapelewski’s technical prowess—position them to tackle pressing challenges in the e-commerce sector.

Oliva’s personal connection to customer service is another driving force behind Konvo AI. “I grew up seeing my mom deliver incredible customer service at her small retail store,” he reflects. “The rise of AI created a unique chance to change that—to make it easy for all e-commerce brands to delight customers with every interaction.”

Transforming Customer Service into a Revenue Generator

The e-commerce customer service market is valued at €12.5 billion and is projected to grow at a rate of 10% annually. Yet, rising customer acquisition costs and high staff turnover—averaging 40% per year—are stretching resources thin. According to Oliva, customer acquisition costs have surged by a factor of five, while the expectation for personalized service continues to rise. This environment has turned customer service into a cost center rather than a competitive advantage.

Konvo AI aims to change this dynamic. “We are solving this by turning that cost center into a revenue engine through proactive AI agents,” Oliva notes. He identifies competitors in the space, including established names like Zendesk and Gorgias, as well as newer AI-first platforms. However, he asserts that Konvo AI stands apart by focusing on the creation of genuinely proactive agents capable of taking real-world actions.

As Konvo AI looks to the future, it aims to expand quickly, with a diverse team of 13 people representing 10 nationalities. Women make up 25% of the workforce, reflecting the company’s commitment to inclusivity. Currently operating from both Berlin and Barcelona, the startup is focused on becoming the leading AI agent platform for e-commerce in Europe.

In the short term, Oliva emphasizes the goal of enhancing the entire customer experience journey, not just addressing issues but also actively driving sales and retention. “In the longer term, our ambition is global expansion,” he concludes. “Every e-commerce brand should have agents that work like their best store associate—proactive, smart, and revenue-driving.”