Meta-backed Hupo Raises $10M for AI Sales Coaching in BFSI
Overview
Hupo, formerly a mental wellness platform, has secured $10 million in Series A funding led by DST Global Partners. The Meta-backed startup pivots to offering AI-powered sales coaching specifically for banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) clients. The capital will fuel product expansion, enterprise deployments, and market growth, including a U.S. market entry.
AI Sales Coach Hupo Secures $10 Million Series A
Hupo, a startup previously known as Ami and backed by Meta, has successfully closed a $10 million Series A funding round. DST Global Partners led the investment, with participation from Collaborative Fund, Goodwater Capital, January Capital, and Strong Ventures. The company has strategically pivoted from its origins in mental wellness to become a provider of AI-powered sales coaching for the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors.
From Wellness to Performance Coaching
Founded by Justin Kim, who previously worked at Bloomberg selling enterprise software, Hupo's journey began with a focus on mental wellness and behavioral change. Kim, inspired by sports performance, recognized a universal drive for improvement. This led to exploring performance drivers at work, with mental resilience emerging as a key theme. Early collaboration with Meta, an early seed-stage investor, provided critical lessons: software must integrate seamlessly into daily workflows, and judgmental or abstract tools often fail.
These insights guided Hupo's transformation. The company now focuses on real-time AI coaching designed to enhance sales performance within complex, regulated industries like banking and insurance. Kim stated that the core challenge in both mental wellness and sales is "performance at scale," where traditional methods fall short due to limitations in personalized training and feedback.
AI-Driven Consistency for BFSI
Hupo's AI technology analyzes conversations in real-time, offering consistent coaching to sales teams. This capability is particularly valuable in highly regulated financial sectors where every interaction matters. The platform was intentionally trained on industry-specific data, including financial products, common objections, and regulatory requirements, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness.
The company reports strong traction, serving dozens of customers across APAC and Europe, including major institutions like Prudential, AXA, Manulife, HSBC, and Bank of Ireland. Kim noted that BFSI clients typically expand their contracts significantly within six months. Hupo plans to expand into the U.S. market in the first half of this year, targeting areas with strong distribution-heavy financial models.
The newly acquired capital will be directed towards enhancing product features, scaling enterprise deployments, bolstering go-to-market strategies within BFSI, and expanding the team. Kim envisions Hupo evolving beyond sales coaching to offer broader performance insights and guidance for large enterprise teams in the next five years.
