In the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), significant strides have been made in the application of AI for unstructured and sequential data. However, structured data—typically organized into rows and columns, such as in SQL databases or spreadsheets—has remained underexplored. French startup Neuralk-AI has emerged with a vision to change this narrative, finding its niche in developing AI models tailored specifically for structured data. Recently, the company secured $4 million in funding to advance this innovative approach.
Neuralk-AI’s co-founder and Chief Scientist, Alexandre Pasquiou, highlighted the value of structured data for companies. According to him, data that has been long identified and structured in tabular forms is essential for machine learning algorithms. This fundamental notion drives the company’s strategy as it works to create AI models that can leverage existing structured data effectively.
The startup’s initial focus will be to provide its AI models through an API, targeting data scientists in the retail and commerce sectors. With an abundance of data at their disposal—ranging from product catalogs to customer databases—these domains are particularly suited for automated insights and analytics.
Pasquiou pointed out the current limitations of large language models (LLMs) that excel in search, natural interaction, and answering questions but face challenges in classic machine learning contexts, which rely heavily on structured data. Neuralk-AI aims to bridge this gap by enabling retailers to streamline complex data workflows through the automation of tasks such as deduplication and data enrichment.
Beyond operational efficiencies, Neuralk-AI’s models promise to enhance decision-making capabilities by offering fraud detection, optimized product recommendations, and refined sales forecasts to improve inventory management and pricing strategies. This blend of capabilities positions Neuralk-AI’s offerings as extremely valuable for companies looking to maximize the utility of their data.
The funding round was led by Fly Ventures, with contributions from SteamAI and notable angel investors, including figures from Hugging Face and Mirakl. As the team continues to refine its models, a testing phase with leading French retail partners, including E.Leclerc and Auchan, is set to commence soon.
Looking ahead, Neuralk-AI plans to release the first version of its model, complete with a public benchmark for competitive evaluation, within the next few months. By September, the company aims to establish itself as a frontrunner in the realm of tabular data representation learning, providing essential tools for the effective processing of structured information.
As the AI landscape continuously expands, Neuralk-AI stands poised to make a significant impact by unlocking the potential of structured data that many companies already possess. This specialized approach not only promises to innovate the way data is utilized in various sectors but also addresses a critical gap in the current AI offerings, marking a promising future for the startup and its stakeholders.