Chime Labs raises $900k for AI receptionist, tradies niche
Sydney startup Chime Labs closed $900k AUD pre-seed from 500 Global to build AI receptionist software for Australian tradies. The product handles inbound calls 24/7, qualifies leads, and books jobs directly into calendars.
Founders Alexis Griveau (CEO) and Mathew Pretel, both ex-Google, started the company in 2025 after watching family members in service businesses lose revenue to missed calls. Their research showed tradies typically handle admin via family help, offshore VAs, or after-hours work, none of which scale.
The pitch: a single missed call costs trade businesses up to $12k monthly in lost revenue. The AI receptionist captures those leads while the owner is on site.
What this means for sales teams: The AI receptionist category is heating up globally. U.S. competitor Beside hit $4M ARR after raising $32M total. Canadian startup Handshake runs a 6-person team serving SMEs with multilingual support. Chime Labs is the first known ANZ-focused player in this niche, targeting local tradies specifically.
Griveau says current customers want quoting, invoicing, and lead generation features next. The funding will expand product scope and headcount, though team size remains under 10 based on comparable early-stage AI voice startups.
Sales tech context: This sits in the broader AI lead qualification and appointment setting category. For sales teams selling into trades, service businesses, or SMB: watch how AI receptionists impact buying behavior. If your prospects stop answering phones because an AI agent pre-qualifies every caller, your outbound motion needs to adapt.
No details on sales team structure, OTE, or go-to-market hiring plans. Company has no disclosed funding history prior to this round. No revenue, acquisition, or headcount growth data available yet.
Worth noting: the ANZ trades market is underserved for sales automation compared to global SMB tooling. If Chime Labs ships the expanded product roadmap, this becomes a legitimate lead gen and qualification play for service businesses, not just phone coverage.