Attention

Based in New York, New York, Attention develops an artificial intelligence-powered sales platform that automates customer relationship management data entry and provides real-time assistance during live sales calls. The enterprise software captures voice conversations to automatically populate fields, draft follow-up emails, and deliver actionable coaching insights for business-to-business sales teams, revenue operations, and customer success departments. The system integrates seamlessly with major customer relationship management platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, utilizing advanced machine learning models to extract specific sales methodology criteria directly from client interactions. The company has raised over $17 million in total known funding to scale its operations, which includes a $14 million Series A round completed in February 2024 led by Alven with participation from Eniac Ventures and Frst. Attention was founded in 2021 by co-founders Anis Bennaceur and Matthias Wickenburg.

High-Level Overview

Attention is a New York-based AI-powered SaaS platform founded in 2022 that analyzes customer conversations—primarily sales calls—to generate actionable insights, automating routine tasks like CRM updates and deal scoring for revenue teams.[1][2][3] It serves fast-growing startups and enterprises such as Crunchbase, BambooHR, Aircall, Clay, and Certificial, solving the problem of inefficient, error-prone manual data capture from interactions by providing a continuously learning "system of cognition" that boosts pipeline velocity and enables reps to focus on strategic work.[1][3] The company recently raised $14 million in Series A funding led by Alven (with Eniac, 645 Ventures, Aglae, Frst, and Liquid2 participating), fueling a 10x revenue surge this year, 3x year-over-year growth, and expansion of its 40+ employee team while integrating with tools like Salesforce and HubSpot.[1][2][3]

Origin Story

Attention was co-founded in 2022 by repeat entrepreneurs Anis Bennaceur and Matthias Wickenburg—former competitors—who identified a gap in how revenue teams extract value from customer interactions.[3][4] Headquartered in New York, the duo built an AI-native solution to automate analysis of thousands of sales calls monthly, moving beyond traditional, incomplete methods.[2][3] Early traction came swiftly, evidenced by adoption from high-profile customers and the October 2024 Series A round, which validated their vision amid exploding demand for sales AI; this funding builds on prior momentum to scale product and go-to-market efforts.[1][2]

Core Differentiators

Attention stands out in the crowded sales intelligence market (competing with Gong and Chorus.ai) through these key strengths:

• Generative AI-native cognition: Builds a learning system that clones top performers by extracting patterns from successful deals, automating CRM entry, scorecards, and insights for faster conversions—unlike legacy tools reliant on manual or error-prone capture.[1][3]
• Seamless integrations and ease: Works natively with Salesforce, HubSpot, and others, delivering real-time actionable outputs that have "skyrocketed" pipeline velocity for users like Certificial.[1][2][3]
• Proven growth metrics: Handles thousands of calls monthly, powers 10x revenue growth for itself, and offers tiered per-user pricing tailored to startups and enterprises.[2]
• Founder-led product focus: Backed by investors praising Bennaceur and Wickenburg's "exceptional eye for product," enabling rapid iteration in a dynamic market.[3]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Attention rides the AI augmentation wave in sales, where generative AI shifts revenue functions from rote tasks to high-strategy work amid a massive, fast-growing market for conversation intelligence.[1][3] Timing is ideal post-2024 AI boom, with market forces like remote selling, data overload, and rep shortages favoring automated insights—evidenced by 10x revenue growth and blue-chip customers.[1][2] It influences the ecosystem by redefining sales roles, enhancing productivity for thousands of calls, and setting a bar for "cognition systems" that learn over time, potentially accelerating adoption of AI in GTM teams worldwide.[1][3]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Attention is primed to dominate sales AI with its $14M war chest funding GTM expansion, engineering hires, and next-gen features amid 3x YoY growth.[1][2] Trends like deeper AI integration in CRMs and multimodal analysis (e.g., video calls) will propel it, while competition from incumbents tests its edge in learning systems. Expect scaled enterprise wins, potential Series B in 2026, and broader influence in automating revenue ops—transforming how teams turn conversations into closed deals, just as it has for early adopters.[1][3]