Sterling Raises $3.8M Seed for Agentic AI in Accounting

A New Zealand startup called Sterling has secured $3.8 million in seed funding. This company is developing agentic AI tools specifically for finance teams. Blackbird Ventures led the investment round, with additional backing from angel investors Rowan Simpson and Eliot Crowther. The co-founders, Nik Wakelin and Ludwig Wendzich, created the product using OpenAI agents. Their goal is to simplify the workload for accountants, addressing frustrations they observed within their own families. This funding round highlights investor interest in agentic AI that targets specific professional tasks, particularly the repetitive duties common in finance. This could mean more efficient operations for finance professionals.