How Freya Raised Funding Straight Out of YC and Landed a Bank as Their First Customer
Manage episode 517931652 series 3700191
From winning national Math Olympiads and conducting quantum computing research with Caltech professors to raising funding straight out of Y Combinator, Tunga’s journey is a deep dive into innovation, focus, and execution.
We discuss:
- His early years as a math and robotics Olympian
- Research in quantum algorithms and machine learning
- Building Freya, a voice AI company revolutionizing customer service
- Landing their first banking customer during YC
- Lessons from Y Combinator, B2B sales, and founder life
- Expanding into international markets including Turkey and the Czech Republic
If you’re a startup founder, technologist, or someone who loves hearing authentic stories of perseverance and innovation, this episode is for you.
About Freya:
Freya builds human-like voice AI agents that help companies resolve customer issues faster by automating repetitive call center operations in finance, insurance, and fintech. https://freyavoice.ai/
About ImagineAI:
We build your B2B content pipeline so prospects find you, trust you, and book meetings before your competitors even get a reply. https://www.imagineai.me/
Learn more about Tunga:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tunga-bayrak/
Learn more about Sky:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyyang/
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Subscribe to Signal Line for more conversations with the builders shaping the future.
Timestamps
0:00 – Intro
0:40 – Welcome to Signal Line
1:00 – What is Freya
2:30 – Funding Round and YC Journey
4:30 – How the Co-Founders Met
5:45 – Math and Quantum Computing Background
8:20 – Voice AI and the Future of Customer Service
10:20 – First Customer Story (a Bank)
12:30 – YC Takeaways and Founder Lessons
14:00 – Vegas Conference Story
14:40 – Founder Life and Closing Thoughts
One episode