In this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, Ben Murray sits down with Yagiz Abik, CEO and co-founder of 5U AI. Yagiz shares his journey from building businesses in Turkey to immersing himself in Munich's startup scene, ultimately founding 5U AI—a company delivering digital employees to automate repetitive tasks for logistics companies.

The conversation explores the challenges of selling AI-driven solutions to a traditionally tech-resistant industry, how 5U AI is carving out its niche with mid-market logistics firms in Europe, and the strategies Yagiz used to raise $3.2 million in pre-seed funding within just two weeks. Yagiz dives into the evolving financial metrics for AI-native SaaS, lessons from rapid growth, and what it's like to build a team and product from scratch.

Whether you're a SaaS founder, investor, or curious about the impact of AI in legacy industries, this episode is packed with actionable insights and candid stories from the trenches.

Show Notes:

00:00 Pivoting to New Opportunities

04:45 AI adoption in logistics industry

10:02 Challenges of Raising Pre-Seed Capital

13:32 Charging per task done

15:50 Optimizing with open source models

19:48 Reaching out via LinkedIn

20:49 Wrapping up and looking ahead

Links:

SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/5u-ai-raises-3-2m-pre-seed/

Yagiz Abik's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abik/

5U AI's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/5u-ai/

5U AI's Website: https://5u.ai/

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