Dublin-based AI start-up Jentic has secured €4m in pre-seed funding to advance its mission of transforming the AI agent ecosystem. The funding round, led by Irish investment firm Elkstone, also included participation from Sure Valley Ventures, TechOperators, Shuttle, and a network of angel investors.

Founded in 2024 by Sean Blanchfield, Dorothy Creaven, Michael Cordner, and Dr. Tilman Schaefer, Jentic focuses on creating a communication middleware layer for AI agents. This innovative platform enables developers and organisations to seamlessly connect their AI agents to external systems, facilitating the monitoring and management of large-scale AI deployments.

What Jentic Offers

Jentic aims to address a critical challenge in the rapidly growing field of AI agents—effective integration with other systems. AI agents, which are software programs that use artificial intelligence to plan and execute tasks, often rely on complex connections to other systems to fulfill their objectives. Jentic’s middleware platform provides a reliable, secure, and scalable solution to simplify these integrations.

“We’re building critical infrastructure to enable developers to easily and securely hook their AI systems up to the world’s APIs,” said CEO Sean Blanchfield. “This is the future of automation, and it needs a new kind of integration layer to manage the unique complexity, reliability, and security issues that arise when AI becomes highly connected.”

The Founding Team

Jentic’s leadership team comprises experienced tech entrepreneurs with a history of building innovative companies:

  • Sean Blanchfield: CEO and co-founder, previously co-founded PageFair and DemonWare, both significant players in the tech ecosystem.
  • Dorothy Creaven: COO and former managing director at Rent The Runway, as well as co-founder of Element Wave.
  • Michael Cordner: Co-founder of Mindconnex and an expert in digital solutions.
  • Dr. Tilman Schaefer: A founding team member at DemonWare with extensive experience in AI and middleware solutions.

This collective expertise has positioned Jentic as a key player in the emerging AI infrastructure market.

Investor Confidence

Elkstone, the lead investor, highlighted Jentic’s potential to reshape the AI landscape. Niall McEvoy, Elkstone’s head of venture, described the funding as an opportunity to support a company poised to transform industries.

“Jentic’s clear vision to establish a universal AI integration layer aligns perfectly with our mission to drive technological innovation,” McEvoy said. “Backing experienced serial founders with a clear global market opportunity underpins why Elkstone is leading this funding round, and we are enthusiastic to support Jentic’s growth.”

Elkstone has been active in funding transformative start-ups, including healthcare platform Wellola and gaming technology company Jamango. Their investment in Jentic reflects a commitment to backing ventures that address critical gaps in fast-evolving markets.

Expanding the Vision

The €4m funding will allow Jentic to scale its operations, expand its team, and deliver its platform at a pace that matches the rapid development of AI technologies. Blanchfield emphasized the importance of building middleware that ensures AI systems can operate securely and effectively, highlighting Jentic’s ambition to become a leader in this critical space.

“We have a strong history of building category-leading middleware,” said Blanchfield. “This funding will allow us to quickly expand our world-class team, match the tremendous pace of AI development, and deliver a platform that empowers developers and organisations to deploy sophisticated AI with confidence.”

The Future of AI Middleware

As the adoption of AI agents grows across industries, the need for robust, reliable, and secure integration solutions will only increase. Jentic’s vision to provide a universal communication layer for AI systems positions it as a key enabler of the future of automation.

With the support of investors and a seasoned leadership team, Jentic is poised to address the challenges of AI integration and play a pivotal role in the development of next-generation AI infrastructure.

This funding milestone marks the beginning of an exciting journey for Jentic and sets the stage for its contribution to the global AI ecosystem.