An AI startup is emerging from stealth mode with $15 million in seed funding aimed at making inbound sales more efficient. Cofounded by CEO David Walker and CTO Zander Pease, Spara — which stands for sales performance and revenue acceleration — develops conversational AI agents for voice, chat, and email to support sales teams. Based in New York City, Spara engages prospects, qualifies leads, answers questions, and schedules meetings, effectively automating the tasks typically handled by sales teams. It creates customized AI models for mid-market and large enterprise clients that align with their unique sales processes and brand voices. Increasingly, established companies and startups are incorporating AI in their sales efforts. Spara’s focus is on inbound sales—the scenario where a potential customer has already reached out to a company. "Outbound is dead and AI is killing it, " said Walker, noting that technology has automated cold outreach to a point of saturation. Walker previously cofounded and sold the real estate startup Triplemint to luxury brokerage The Agency and remains on its board. "I'm not meant to be an armchair executive; I'm meant to be a builder, " he remarked. Meanwhile, Pease has a background as senior director of product at Hyperscience AI and as a cofounder of Nomad Health. Spara's founders spent six months exploring ideas without committing Walker and Pease met in 2023 through a mutual contact, both eager to launch a startup but undecided on the concept. They "refused to pick an idea for six months, " said Walker, instead conducting informational interviews with numerous experts in the field. "We talked to over 200 sales leaders and tried to treat them like user interviews, " Pease explained.

"What are your biggest pain points?Where do you see AI transforming sales?" These conversations repeatedly highlighted that AI would liberate companies from limitations imposed by human sales teams. Spara officially launched in 2024, with many investors emerging from those early discussions. The $15 million funding comprises a simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) raised in February 2024 led by Inspired Capital, followed by a seed round in July 2024 led by Radical Ventures. Additional investors include XYZ Ventures, FJ Labs, Remarkable Ventures, and angel investors such as Kate Jensen, head of revenue at Anthropic, and James Dyett, head of strategic accounts at OpenAI. The startup plans to allocate the capital toward research, development, sales, and marketing, according to Walker. Currently, Spara employs 16 people—about two-thirds in engineering and the remainder in sales.