By Miftaudeen Raji

A Nigerian tech startup building a private and secure AI workflow, Interactif AI, has been chosen to be part of Founder University’s Cohort 7. 

The pre-accelerator program, led by the well-known investor Jason Calacanis, selects pre-seed stage startups that have the potential to make a substantial impact in their industry. 

Only accepting 10% of the more than 2000 startups that apply, the highly selective program aims to help founders of these startups make a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) version of their product and get their first users. The best startups at the end of the program get an investment of $25,000 to help them grow.

Founder University is probably the most exciting project of the past six months for me — and I have a lot of exciting things going on! :)

I've invested $25,000 in 60 of the startups that have attended as their "friends and family" check.

This first check is a tribute to the… https://t.co/o8o6nWZWJr

— @jason (@Jason) November 16, 2023

Interactif AI stands out among startups in the B2B AI space, building an innovative  suite of solutions for how teams and ecosystems engage with AI workflows while emphasizing privacy and security.

With their backgrounds in AI research, software engineering, and practical experience in developer and support communication, the co-founders of Interactif AI, Abdul-Hakeem Omotayo and Mahmud Adeleye, bring a wealth of experience and a shared vision to developing their suite of AI-driven workflows aimed at streamlining how community-facing teams operate.

According to Omotayo, the platform will offer an integrated solution, from conversational AI assistants to Code Copilots, all while ensuring the utmost privacy and security for users.

He added that the problem Interactif AI tackles is one that resonates across the tech landscape: teams drown in low-impact, repetitive tasks while sifting through their extensive data, Abdul-Hakeem highlights a systemic issue. 

“On average, support teams tackle 10,750 questions yearly, costing $25k and taking up 627 hours. Generative AI offers a solution, automating mundane tasks to shift focus back to innovation,” he explains.

The startup’s innovative AI workflows promise to address these challenges head-on, offering powerful tools that enhance productivity and safeguard sensitive information.

Alongside other notable startups in this Founder University cohort 7, Interactif AI will benefit from the intensive pre-accelerator program that will last for about 12 weeks. During these weeks, the founders will have access to well-known startup founders who have successfully built unicorn startups as their mentors. 

They will also have access to a network of investors, industry experts, and opportunities for capital investment. Joining other talented and excellent founders in the cohort provides not only recognition for Abdul-Hakeem and Mahmud’s outstanding accomplishments in their careers and the potential to continue to innovate, but also serves as a crucial step in their journey to scale and refine Interactif AI’s product offerings.

Mahmud said, “Interactif AI’s SaaS/B2B business model provides business enterprises with a compelling value proposition with tiered plans that cater to their diverse needs of leveraging AI without compromising on their business data privacy. Also, Interactif AI’s platform, designed with scalability in mind, could potentially help it become a staple in the tech toolkit of companies worldwide.

“The startup’s market opportunity is huge. With the AI sector experiencing exponential growth, signaling a ripe environment for Interactif.ai’s solutions. The startup’s focus on privacy, security, and efficiency of businesses directly addresses the pressing needs of today’s digital ecosystem, setting it apart from competitors and positioning it as a leader among startups innovating in the secure AI workflow space,” he added.

As Interactif AI embarks on this exciting phase with its undisclosed planned beta launch, it is poised for significant growth. The startup’s journey through Founder University’s program, guided by Jason Calacanis’s expert hand, could very well mark the beginning of an era in AI unicorn startups built by Africans where privacy and efficiency are not just aspirations but realities.