Munich Startup: Last time we spoke, you said that SUMM AI wants to offer plain language in foreign languages and for the medical and legal sectors. Were you able to achieve this goal?
Flora Geske, co-founder Summ AI: Absolutely, we’ve made great progress here! For example, we started a large-scale cooperation with Apotheken Umschau, Germany’s highest-circulation health magazine, which is available in 80 percent of the country’s approximately 17,600 pharmacies. We expanded our AI tool for the use case of complex health information. Together, we developed an editorial process for publishing understandable medical texts at Apotheken Umschau, where our tool is now in productive use. Julian Hörner, project manager there, describes the impact very aptly. I quote: “It’s an incredible time saver, since we previously really needed days for a translation process. With external partners [Summ AI], we now manage it thanks to great support within a few hours, and that allows us to provide significantly more high-quality health information.”
In translating various languages, we were also able to initiate exciting collaborations: For some time now, our tool can translate not only into German but also into plain French and plain English, and has already been used for the French government.
Obstacles and a steep growth journey
Munich Startup: What obstacles did you encounter along the way?
Flora Geske: Particularly challenging is building a growing team while maintaining our impact-driven culture and ensuring everyone keeps pace well on our steep growth journey. Since we founded right after our studies, we’re also being leaders for the first time – you have to get used to that. But as is often the case with founding: every day you do many things for the first time and grow tremendously from it. Whether it works on the first or second attempt.
Munich Startup: How has your solution evolved?
Flora Geske: Our AI tool for plain language continues to evolve – particularly with regard to the simplest possible, end-to-end automated creation process for texts in plain language. We have worked intensively on one particularly effective lever: seamless integration into content management systems that municipalities and companies use to maintain their websites and publish content. Here we were able to develop various plug-ins, including for WordPress and Typo3, so that tedious “copy-paste” is eliminated when working with our tool.
Very successful, seven-figure funding round
Munich Startup: And how are things financially for you?
Flora Geske: Great! At the end of last year, we raised a very successful, seven-figure funding round that enables our current rapid growth. On board is, among others, the Munich VC Venture Stars as well as several family offices and business angels. Furthermore, we gain new licensed customers daily. This generates recurring revenue. By now, customers have used our tool to translate more than 80,000 texts into plain language, including Deutsche Bahn, Telekom, and Sparkassen.
Munich Startup: What learnings have you gained as a founding team so far?
Flora Geske: Being a founder is truly “lifelong learning.” No day passes that is like another and in which you don’t encounter some new topic. It gives you tremendous decision-making freedom and creative scope. But it’s also a lot of work! However, the joy almost always outweighs it – the joy of being our own bosses and being able to take matters into our own hands.
Munich Startup: What role did the Munich ecosystem play in your journey so far?
Flora Geske: A big one! After a great start in UnternehmerTUM’s programs (for example with Xpreneurs), we were actively supported in the ecosystem through diverse financial and non-financial support. We want to highlight the Media Lab Bayern and Werk1, where we currently have our office space. Both institutions have created a very special community, an active part of which we are very happy to be, and in which we network and support ourselves with other startups.
Summ AI: Future milestones
Munich Startup: What milestones are you working towards next?
Flora Geske: Currently, we are working towards two central goals: to provide nationwide information in plain language in all municipalities in Germany and to support companies in implementing the new regulatory tightening of accessibility in the future. In 2025, the Barrier-Free Strengthening Act (BFSG) comes into force, which means that products and services for end customers must also be made accessible without barriers – including in relation to contracts, product information, FAQs, etc. Here we are establishing ourselves as the provider for the B2B segment!
