A Minneapolis startup that leverages artificial intelligence to help users make their presentations or sales pitches more engaging, as well as prepare them for job interviews, has landed fresh capital to expand the platform.
Brevity, founded by Kelvin Johnson and Maximilian Huc, recently received an undisclosed investment from Cincinnati-based Lightship Capital, bringing the startup to more than $2 million in venture dollars raised since its creation in 2020.
Lightship's investment pushed Brevity over its $1.5 million seed round goal. Existing investors in the company include Brown Venture Group, a Minneapolis venture fund focused on investments in women and entrepreneurs of color.
Previous funding — with more than $1 million raised in 2022 — has been used for product development, hiring a chief technology officer, and hiring new head of business development Jessica Berg, former director of the University of Minnesota's MN Cup, a statewide startup competition.
In 2021, several startups competing in MN Cup used Brevity's technology to perfect their business pitch to judges, Johnson said.
"That really helped validate a proof of concept," he said.
Since 2020, the University of Minnesota, Villanova University and Minneapolis-based Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda) are some of the organizations and institutions to use Brevity to better explain complex topics and be more engaging in meetings.
The product can be purchased by single users, like entrepreneurs preparing to pitch to investors. But its highest revenue growth lies with enterprise accounts, Johnson said, for sales teams or communication training within corporations, or for universities or economic development groups offering services to small businesses.
To use Brevity, the presenter first chooses their target audience from a list of options. The system then offers advice on tone, from introduction to closing. Once a presentation is written, the system analyzes each statement based on the audience and recommends changes. A scoring system lets the user know how well they've refined the script.
"We want to help people nail their first impression," Johnson said.
A teleprompter feature within Brevity allows the user to record themselves making the presentation. It also allows users to practice answering questions they may be asked — whether during a job interview, with a potential customer, or from someone in the audience. Users can also send the recording to coworkers or others for feedback.
"Whether it's pitching to customers, funders or your own teammates, so much of our life is dictated by our ability to craft a great pitch," said Alexis Alston, senior investment analyst at Lightship Capital, in a statement. "We're elated to see how Brevity's AI can close the pitch divide for so many companies, organizations, and founders and level the playing field."
The majority of Brevity's fresh capital will be applied to market expansion and sales, with the remainder to product development and other costs associated with running the business, Johnson said.
