A startup specializing in artificial intelligence has emerged from stealth mode, securing $15 million in initial funding to enhance the efficiency of inbound sales processes. Founded by David Walker as CEO and Zander Pease as CTO, Spara, an abbreviation for sales performance and revenue acceleration, develops AI-powered conversational agents for sales teams, encompassing voice, chat, and email functionalities.
Based in New York City, Spara streamlines various sales tasks such as engaging with potential clients, qualifying leads, addressing inquiries, and scheduling meetings through automation. The company tailors AI models to meet the unique sales procedures and brand tones of mid-sized and large corporate clients.
The utilization of AI is on the rise within the sales industry, with a specific focus on inbound sales where prospective customers initiate contact with a business. Walker expressed that outbound sales are diminishing due to AI’s automation of outreach activities reaching a saturation point.
Previously, Walker co-founded and successfully sold a real estate startup called Triplemint to The Agency luxury brokerage. He still holds a position on the board of directors at the company. In his own words, Walker emphasized his inclination towards being actively involved in building ventures rather than being a passive executive.
Pease’s background includes serving as the senior product director at Hyperscience AI and co-founding Nomad Health. The partnership between Walker and Pease began in 2023 when they connected through a mutual acquaintance with a shared ambition to establish a business venture without a defined concept initially. They spent six months engaging in informational discussions with industry experts to gather insights before deciding on their direction.
Spara was officially launched in 2024, attracting investment from stakeholders engaged during the initial consultation phase. Notable investors involved in funding rounds were Inspired Capital leading a convertible equity agreement in February 2024 and Radical Ventures leading a seed investment in July 2024. Additional contributors included XYZ Ventures, FJ Labs, Remarkable Ventures, as well as individual investors like Kate Jensen from Anthropic and James Dyett from OpenAI.
The capital raised will be allocated towards research, development, sales activities, and marketing initiatives according to Walker. Spara’s workforce comprises 16 employees with approximately two-thirds dedicated to engineering roles and the remainder focusing on sales functions.
Among Spara’s clientele are Rho banking platform, MarketMan restaurant software provider, Jericho Security cybersecurity training firm, and TinyMCE rich-text editor.