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Success story: how aicuflow secured EXIST funding
From hackathon encounter to a 14-person R&D automation platform – with BW Pre-Seed follow-on secured 6 months before EXIST ended.
We started looking for follow-on financing 9 months before EXIST ended and secured it 6 months before the close.
Julia Yukovich, CEO aicuflowThe idea behind aicuflow
Founders Julia Yukovich (CEO) and Shivangi Singh (CTO) met three years ago at a hackathon. They experienced first-hand how inefficient workflows and fragmented data management slow research projects down. From this shared passion for efficiency and innovation, aicuflow was born – a platform combining automated multimodal data processes with explainable AI to relieve R&D teams.
The EXIST application
With targeted coaching and the Grants tool, Julia and Shivangi structured their application around three pillars: a clear problem definition (examples from TU Munich labs illustrated the pain point), validation (cooperations with companies and research institutions as proof points), and impact & innovation (benchmarks showing up to 60% time savings and 75% cost reduction). The result: a precise application that convinced the jury and secured the EXIST stipend.
The first six months
From founding pair to a 14-person interdisciplinary team within nine months. The MVP covered core functions for data import, processing, and an interactive dashboard. First implementations in over five university labs confirmed practical suitability. Researchers who previously fought with distributed spreadsheets and VBA-dependent scripts could now centralise their process, automate data pipelines, and generate robust visualisations.
Learnings and key advice
Network early: build relationships with mentors and industry partners from day one. Iterate: start with a Minimum Lovable Product and expand step by step. Plan for follow-on financing nine months before EXIST ends – not six weeks. The team secured BW Pre-Seed funding six months before their EXIST period closed. Alternatives worth knowing: EXIST Forschungstransfer Phase II, IGP (Innovationsprogramm für Geschäftsmodelle und Pionierlösungen), and BW Pre-Seed.
Start follow-on financing early
The aicuflow team started looking for follow-on funding nine months before EXIST ended and secured BW Pre-Seed six months before the close. Don't leave this until the last quarter – funding processes take longer than expected.
What makes aicuflow unique
Multimodal AI processes tables, images, and text in a single centralised tool. Explainable AI provides insights into model decisions, building trust. The platform delivers up to €100,000 in savings and 60% time reduction per project. Low-code design plus a forthcoming chat interface keep the barrier to adoption low. ISO 27001 certification in progress; ISO 9001 the next target.
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Written by
Julia Yukovich
Co-Founder + CEO
Julia is one of the Co-Founders. She handles design, product direction, and most of the support replies that arrive in the morning.