A new Tallinn-based startup is betting that the future of business automation lies not in complex coding but in plain English. Last week, Askel.ai secured €380,000 in pre-seed funding to develop its platform that allows SaaS companies to embed workflow automation directly into their existing tools.
The company’s approach is notably different from traditional automation solutions. Rather than requiring technical expertise, Askel.ai enables end-users to describe their desired tasks in natural language. The company reports that early pilot programs suggest the technology can reduce task completion times by up to 90%.
“The problem with current automation solutions is that they often create more complexity rather than reducing it,” says Joosep Kõljalg, Askel.ai’s founder and former Twilio engineering director. “We’re embedding automation directly where the work happens.”
The funding round was led by Superangel, with participation from notable tech industry figures, including ProcessOut co-founder Manuel Huez and former Checkout.com CTO Ott Kaukver. The timing appears opportune — according to Boston Consulting Group, companies with advanced AI capabilities are seeing 1.5 times higher revenue growth and 1.6 times greater shareholder returns compared to their peers.
Estonia is a fertile ground for AI advances — it’s the best European country for AI startups, according to a recent ranking by the global startup ecosystem map and research centre StartupBlink, per Euronews.

“Estonia’s remarkable performance in the AI startup ecosystems stems from its focus on innovation and density of startups, ranking second globally in AI startups per capita, with about 48 per million people,” said Ghers Fisman, Head of Research at StartupBlink. The state is following the private sector in adopting cutting-edge tech, with the ambition — articulated in its 2019 National AI Strategy — to automate at least 50 public services with AI by 2025.
Estonia surpasses continental heavyweights such as Germany, France, and Switzerland in this ranking. Globally, the US ranks as the top country for AI, closely followed by Israel and the UK.
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