Numa to use $32M funding boost to ‘power the AI-native dealership’
Numa just got a $32 million boost.
The artificial intelligence platform for auto dealerships announced a $32 million Series B funding round, led by Touring Capital, a growth-stage firm focused on AI-powered software, and Mitsui & Co., a global conglomerate that generates $1.2 billion in annual profit from automotive and mobility. Previous investors Costanoa Ventures, Threshold and Gradient Ventures — Google’s AI-focused venture fund — also participated.
In a news release, Numa, a company led by a team of serial entrepreneurs, said it is “pioneering the AI-native dealership” by bringing AI agents into every facet of dealership operations — everything from saving missed calls and booking service appointments to coordinating inter-departmental tasks and managing customer expectations.
“We are building the AI-native dealership — re-architecting how dealerships run at their core,” CEO and co-founder Tasso Roumeliotis said. “Our AI agents not only handle repetitive tasks like booking appointments and giving status updates, but also more complex ones like rescuing dissatisfied customers and unlocking trade-ins.
“Numa activates a total transformation for every dealership, making their operations and communications smarter, faster and more customer-centric.”
Numa’s AI agents are designed to actively help with every customer interaction, which the company said can reduce response times by up to 100 times — from 23 hours to 13 minutes — as well as increasing repair order dollars per service advisor by more than 35%.
“We see tremendous potential in Numa’s platform because it is purpose-built for car dealerships, transforming an outdated tech stack with an AI-enabled copilot that drives real ROI,” Touring Capital co-founder and general partner Priya Saiprasad said. “Numa redefines how dealerships engage with customers to deliver a delightful experience that enhances loyalty while also driving profitability.”
Hiroshi Takeuchi, operating officer of Mitsui’s mobility business unit, said the AI agents “go beyond communications, redefining how dealerships operate and engage customers. As Numa’s AI evolves, it empowers dealerships to streamline processes, improve customer interactions and maximize every business opportunity. Their unique AI-powered platform is setting the new standard for what’s possible in automotive service and sales.”
Numa said it will use the new funding to expand its AI engineering team, accelerate product development and continue its “mission to power the AI-native dealership and revolutionize the retail dealership experience.”
The new investment follows Numa’s ranking of 168 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies and No. 4 in the AI category, based on its three-year revenue growth of 2,248%. The company recently added Jason Finkelstein to its leadership team as chief marketing officer and said his “go-to-market experience in customer service software, AI and high-growth B2B SaaS businesses” will help “drive Numa’s next phase of growth.”