Pleep's Journey: From Hackathon Win to Pre-Seed and Beyond

Pleep pivoted from a no-code AI app builder to a focused AI sales assistant platform, raised a $100,000 pre-seed round, won a national hackathon, and now processes over 500,000 messages for businesses across Kazakhstan and the CIS.

Every startup has a story. Ours begins with a pivot, a pre-seed round, a hackathon victory, and a vision that Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development called "a solution that can become part of everyday business communication."

This is the story of how Pleep went from a no-code AI app builder to an AI assistant ecosystem processing over 500,000 messages — and where we are heading next.

Chapter 1: The Pivot That Changed Everything

Pleep was not always what it is today. In January 2024, we started development with an ambitious but different goal: building a no-code service for creating complex AI applications. We wanted to simplify AI for business, but we were thinking too broadly.

After months of technical iterations and deep market analysis, we made a strategic decision in April 2024 that would define our trajectory. We pivoted. The new focus was laser-sharp: an ecosystem for AI assistants built on a self-service model. Instead of a general-purpose tool, we built something specific and powerful — a platform where any entrepreneur could create an AI sales assistant by answering just 7 questions about their business.

No coding. No prompt writing. No AI expertise required.

This pivot did not just change our product — it expanded our potential dramatically. We were no longer building for developers; we were building for every business owner who had ever lost a lead because they could not respond fast enough.

Chapter 2: $100,000 Pre-Seed — Investors Believe

By December 2024, the results of our pivot were undeniable. We had built a platform that was genuinely simple to use, and businesses were seeing real results.

We raised $100,000 in our pre-seed round.

At that point, Pleep already had:

• Over 200 AI assistants created for businesses
• 500,000 messages processed using AI
• A growing base of satisfied clients across industries

Our Mission Crystallized

The funding validated what we already believed: our mission — to make AI technology accessible to every entrepreneur regardless of their technical knowledge — was not just idealistic. It was commercially viable.

Where the Money Went

We allocated the investment into two clear directions:

1. Marketing — so more people could learn about Pleep and how it reimagines AI assistant creation for business
2. Product development — improving assistant quality, reducing hallucinations, and expanding platform functionality

We promised wonderful product updates for January 2025 — and we delivered. Pleep Assistants, our new communication engine with 99.71% accuracy, launched that month and fundamentally changed how AI assistants communicate with clients. Read about all the updates in our product updates timeline.

Chapter 3: Industrial AI Battle Victory and $10,000 from Kazakhtelecom

On February 1, 2025, Pleep entered the national stage.

The Industrial AI Battle — a competition for innovative AI solutions held during the Digital Almaty 2025 forum — received more than 300 applications. Only 15 projects made it to the final. Pleep was recognized as one of the most promising.

The Recognition

Kazakhtelecom, Kazakhstan's largest telecom operator, allocated $10,000 for Pleep's development. But more significant than the money was the recognition from Bagdat Musin, Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development, who personally noted the significance of our product.

"This solution can become part of everyday business communication in Kazakhstan." — Bagdat Musin, Minister of Digital Development

When a government minister says your product could become part of everyday business life in your country, you know you are building something that matters.

What We Built With It

We directed the investment toward developing voice AI agents — the next frontier for AI-powered customer communication. The idea: an AI salesperson that can not only text with clients but also make and receive voice calls, responding in real time.

This is the step toward a multimodal AI salesperson that combines text and voice into a single system, fully imitating a human. The AI agent maintains unified context across both modalities — it remembers what you discussed in chat when you switch to a call, and vice versa.

Chapter 4: The Numbers Behind the Journey

Looking back at Pleep's trajectory, the growth tells a compelling story:

From zero to over 520 companies and 2.37 million processed responses in just over a year. From a pivot to a pre-seed to a national competition win. Each milestone built on the last.

Chapter 5: What Comes Next

The voice AI agent represents our vision for the future. We discovered that our target segment does not answer 62% of incoming calls. That is an enormous amount of potential revenue left on the table. By connecting Pleep, businesses can capture those otherwise-lost prospects.

But voice is just the beginning. Our roadmap includes:

• Deeper CRM integrations for seamless workflow automation
• Advanced analytics that show exactly where revenue is gained and lost
• Expanded channel support covering every platform where your clients communicate
• Enterprise-grade features for larger organizations

Through it all, we maintain our key principle: everything works without a single prompt and is configured in 5 minutes. Whether you are a solo entrepreneur or a team of fifty, AI-powered sales should be as simple as answering a few questions about your business.

The Takeaway

Pleep's journey is not just a startup story. It is proof that the AI revolution is not reserved for Silicon Valley or billion-dollar corporations. A team in Kazakhstan built a platform that competes globally, earned recognition from industry leaders and government officials, and most importantly — delivers real, measurable results for hundreds of businesses every day.

We are just getting started.

FAQ

How does Pleep differ from other AI chatbot builders?

Pleep is not a general-purpose chatbot builder. It is purpose-built for sales — the platform creates an AI assistant by asking 7 questions about your business, with no prompts or coding required. The result is a multimodal agent that texts, calls, and closes deals across WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram.

How much funding has Pleep raised?

Pleep raised $100,000 in a pre-seed round in December 2024, followed by an additional $10,000 prize from winning the Industrial AI Battle organized by Kazakhtelecom. The total funding of $110,000 has been invested in marketing and product development.

How many businesses use Pleep today?

Over 520 companies actively use Pleep, and the platform has processed more than 2.37 million responses. Pleep serves businesses across Kazakhstan and the CIS, spanning industries from real estate and finance to beauty salons and education.

Create your AI assistant today on Pleep and get 3 days of trial access.