Flip's AI Revolution: How This Startup Handled 300M Customer Calls and Raised $20M

The Rise of Vertical AI in Customer Service

Flip, an AI platform that automates customer service phone calls for enterprise brands, has just secured $20 million in Series A funding after reporting it has handled over 300 million automated calls across hundreds of brands. This financing round brings Flip's total funding to $31 million.

Investment and Growth Strategy

The funding was co-led by Next Coast Ventures and Ridge Ventures, with participation from Data Point Capital, ScOp Venture Capital, Bullpen Capital, Forum Ventures, and angel investors. Flip plans to use this capital to accelerate product development and expand its engineering and go-to-market teams across New York, Los Angeles, and the UK. The company now operates across North America, the UK, and Australia/New Zealand.

What Makes Flip Different?

Flip positions itself as a "vertical AI" solution for high-stakes customer experience. Unlike broad, general-purpose AI agents, Flip builds specialized systems around industry workflows and integrations. The platform focuses on automating the voice channel with an AI assistant that:

• Answers calls instantly
• Integrates with the same back-end systems used by human agents
• Autonomously completes common workflows that drive call volume

Currently, Flip is processing approximately 20 million calls per month for roughly 250 global brands.

Market Traction and Industry Adoption

In terms of vertical traction, Flip has achieved impressive milestones:

• Over 60% market adoption in transportation (its initial market)
• Early category leader in retail and e-commerce
• Rapid growth in healthcare through recent expansion

Customer Success Stories

Several major brands have partnered with Flip, including:

• Tory Burch (retailer)
• Experity (healthcare software provider)
• iCabbi (a Groupe Renault subsidiary focused on mobility and taxi technology)

iCabbi is even pursuing a strategic white-label relationship with Flip, indicating deep integration and trust in the platform.

Leadership Insights

Brian Schiff, Co-Founder and CEO of Flip, explains: "Customer service is one of the obvious AI opportunities in enterprise, and the vertical approach is emerging as the winning way to do it—maybe not yet in funding, but in traction and customer love. It's just the only way the technology can deliver on its promise for brands."

Mike Smerklo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Next Coast Ventures, adds: "As enterprises move from AI experimentation to production, teams like Flip stand out. They've built a solution grounded in domain expertise, integrations, and real customer outcomes."

Alex Rosen, Managing Partner at Ridge Ventures, notes: "While the market is still experimenting with AI concepts, Flip is already operating at an industrial scale. Processing 20 million calls a month for 250 global brands proves that deep vertical integration is the only way to solve complex service workflows."

The Future of AI in Customer Service

Flip's approach demonstrates how specialized AI solutions are outperforming generic ones in enterprise settings. By focusing on specific industries and building hundreds of integrations and proven workflows, Flip enables brands to implement AI-powered customer service without building custom solutions from scratch.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York City, Flip represents the next wave of AI-driven customer service innovation, where technology doesn't just assist human agents but autonomously handles entire customer interactions with industry-specific expertise.