Voice AI Startup Freya.ai Raises $3.5M

The $3.5 million seed round for Freya.ai was led by DOMiNO Ventures and included participation from notable investors such as Y Combinator, Formosa Capital, Rebel Fund, and 212 VC, among others. This funding is aimed at accelerating product development and supporting the company's expansion across the United States, Europe, and Turkey. Co-founders Tunga Bayrak and Tomas Nepala, who were roommates at the University of Pennsylvania, are on their second startup together. Bayrak has a background as an AI research engineer with work in Audio Transformers, while Nepala previously worked in financial services, including at Gallagher, the world's second-largest insurance broker. This combination of AI expertise and deep industry knowledge addresses the high call volumes and regulatory complexity in sectors like finance and insurance. Freya's technology distinguishes itself by going beyond simple automation to incorporate emotion detection and contextual understanding, allowing its AI agents to adjust responses based on the conversation's flow rather than rigid scripts. The platform can be deployed on both cloud and on-premise environments, a key feature for industries with strict data security requirements. Clients have reported efficiency gains of up to 60% due to shorter call times. The investment in Freya.ai comes as the Turkish AI startup ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth, with 1,188 active AI startups, approximately 70% of which were founded after 2020. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, AI companies in Turkey raised $24.5 million in equity funding, a significant increase from the previous year. This signals a maturing market with increasing global investor interest.