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Cerebrium, a South African–founded AI infrastructure startup, has raised an $8.5 million seed funding round. The round was led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture capital arm. Other investors participating include Y Combinator and Authentic Ventures, signaling strong support for Cerebrium’s vision.
Founded in 2021 by Michael Louis and Jonathan Irwin in Cape Town, Cerebrium offers a serverless platform that enables engineers and developers to build, deploy, and scale multimodal AI applications involving text, image, and audio—without needing to manage complex infrastructure. Its technology supports applications such as real‑time digital avatars, voice AI solutions, and healthcare tools.
Rather than traditional setups burdened by GPU provisioning and container orchestration, Cerebrium’s serverless model allows automatic scaling of AI workloads, minimizing latency and developer friction. The startup already counts enterprise clients like Tavus and Deepgram, which generate millions in annual recurring revenue (ARR) for the company.
The funding will be deployed toward expanding Cerebrium’s engineering and product development teams, enhancing platform features, and entering new markets—particularly in the United States, where the company is now headquartered. The capital infusion will also support further enterprise engagements and accelerate growth in customer adoption.
This milestone marks a significant moment for Cerebrium and reflects broader investor confidence in African-built tech addressing global AI infrastructure needs. With backing from Gradient Ventures and YC, Cerebrium is positioning itself as a serious global contender in the developer infrastructure space.
As AI investments surge globally—VCs poured over $84 billion into AI startups in 2024—Cerebrium’s serverless AI stack sets it apart with frictionless deployment and scalability. Its model resonates in a competitive landscape where startups like StackAI and Artisan have attracted significant capital to build agentic AI systems.
Cerebrium plans to accelerate growth over the coming months by broadening product capabilities in live streaming, real-time avatar functionality, and enterprise-grade APIs. The startup’s trajectory also underlines the growing potential of South African tech firms to launch globally competitive AI infrastructure platforms.
Cerebrium’s achievement signals that African AI startups are increasingly gaining global traction by delivering enterprise-ready, developer-first infrastructure solutions.
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