fonio
fonio builds an AI phone assistant for small and medium-sized businesses that answers calls, books appointments and qualifies leads, and is developing an automated CRM system.
fonio, founded in 2024 and headquartered in Vienna, builds an AI communication platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Its AI phone assistant answers calls around the clock, books appointments, qualifies leads and handles routine inquiries. The system automates more than 2 million calls a month for over 9,500 customers across 9 markets. The company is also developing what it describes as the first fully automated CRM system.
Technical work spans AI voice assistants, conversational AI, speech and telephony automation, CRM automation, lead qualification and scheduling automation. The product operates in production at scale, which places a premium on reliability in voice, telephony and dialogue systems.
The team numbers roughly 50 people and is composed largely of former founders, including those who have scaled products at companies such as Canva. The CEO exited an ad-tech startup in 2024, and the CTO began building software at the age of 14. The stated working style is ownership-driven: few meetings, direct feedback and rapid shipping.