Munich and Paris-based startup Pruna AI announces the close of its seed financing round of 6.2 million euros (6.5 million dollars). The funding comes from EQT Ventures with participation from Daphni, Motier and Kima as well as from business angels such as Roxane Varza, Hervé Nivon and Olivier Pomel. The company, founded in 2023, intends to use the fresh capital to expand its technical team.
Pruna AI optimizes machine learning models through compression methods such as pruning and quantization, making developer work more efficient. The platform makes it easier for ML teams to reduce costs and simplify optimization processes while making models more powerful and scalable. This enables companies of all sizes to work more resource-efficiently even without the infrastructure of major tech companies. At the same time, Pruna AI reduces the energy consumption of AI models through efficiency improvements, which promotes sustainability and extends hardware lifespan.
Bertrand Charpentier, co-founder and chief scientist at Pruna, comments on the funding:
“EQT Ventures’ investment in Pruna AI comes at a critical moment for our company’s growth, and we look forward to their support as we scale and accelerate our product launch. The proceeds from our capital increase will also go into expanding our talented team, which has already tripled in size. This allows us to achieve our goal of supporting engineers in developing AI in the fastest, most cost-effective and most sustainable way possible. EQT Ventures was a clear choice as a partner – they are experts at helping young, ambitious companies scale and innovate sustainably for the future, which is the core of our work.”
Carl Svantesson, partner at EQT Ventures, says:
“Finding the right balance between growth and environmental responsibility is of paramount importance for companies of all sizes today. By linking efficiency and sustainability, Pruna AI not only democratizes cutting-edge technology but also advocates for a future where every company can scale quickly and responsibly. The Munich-Paris ecosystem provides the team with additional leverage in a highly competitive market, offering them a strong commercial base and compelling talent acquisition opportunities. We are very pleased to welcome Pruna AI to our portfolio.”
