Stockholm has produced another artificial intelligence startup with serious backing. Pit, a new enterprise AI company founded by the team behind European e-scooter giant Voi, has raised a $16 million seed round led by prominent venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The investment signals growing transatlantic interest in Stockholm’s expanding AI ecosystem, which has already produced notable startups like Lovable.
From scooters to software automation
Pit is led by CEO Adam Jafer, who spent seven years at Voi, helping scale the company from a small team to nearly 1,000 employees operating across 13 countries. He is joined by Voi cofounders Fredrik Hjelm and Filip Lindvall, along with former engineers from iZettle and Klarna. The startup’s mission is to build custom enterprise software that learns how a client’s business operates and then automates internal processes.
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Jafer told TechCrunch that the idea crystallized when AI models evolved beyond simple chatbots. “The aha moment for the bigger opportunity was when the models were no longer just chatbots that generate text, but became more agentic and could do things,” he said. Initially focused on replacing low-hanging SaaS tools with in-house applications, the team quickly saw a broader opportunity.
How Pit differentiates itself
The market for AI-powered enterprise automation is crowded, with numerous startups offering AI agent-building platforms or so-called “vibe-coding” tools. Pit positions itself differently, describing its offering as an “AI product team as a service.” The platform rests on two pillars: Pit Studio, which allows enterprise employees to guide the system through processes that could be automated; and Pit Cloud, which delivers the resulting software with governance, certification, and auditability features required by large organizations.
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Since mid-January, Pit has been testing its approach with pilot customers in telecom, healthcare, and logistics. The focus is strictly on internal processes. “Nothing customer facing, no conversational AI, just pure back-office, service and support functions that we turn into automations,” Jafer explained. The goal is to free up employee time for higher-value work rather than eliminate jobs.
A controversial start and a course correction
Pit drew attention—and criticism—earlier this year when Jafer posted on LinkedIn that the company had no junior engineers because “agents now do most of what junior engineers used to do.” He has since walked back that statement. “It may have started like that, but you need a good mix as you scale,” he said. The company also faced scrutiny over the lack of gender diversity in its founding team, which Fredrik Hjelm addressed publicly, noting that women are part of the team, though the startup’s LinkedIn profile initially suggested otherwise.
Why a16z is betting on Stockholm
The involvement of a16z is notable. The firm has been actively scouting for the next European unicorn, and Stockholm has emerged as a key hunting ground. Hjelm, who remains CEO of Voi, explained that the connection formed when a16z partners visited Stockholm several years ago to understand the European tech market. “When it came to picking partners for Pit, we didn’t need the money to get going, but we wanted the strongest backers we could find. So we picked them, and they picked us,” he said. The round also included participation from Lakestar, Nordic family offices, and executives from American tech companies.
Pit’s European roots may also be a commercial advantage. Jafer noted that clients appreciate the startup’s agnostic approach to AI and cloud vendors, which allows them to use European models running on European compute—a growing priority for CIOs in critical sectors. “EU models running on EU compute is top of mind for almost every CIO we’re meeting,” he said.
Conclusion
Pit enters a competitive market with a strong founding team, deep industry connections, and a clear focus on enterprise-grade automation. Its ability to differentiate through a service-oriented model rather than a pure platform play, combined with the tailwinds of European sovereign tech demand, positions it as a startup worth watching. Stockholm’s emergence as a serious AI hub appears to be accelerating.
FAQs
Q1: What does Pit do?
Pit builds custom enterprise software that learns how a client’s business operates and automates internal back-office processes. It offers an “AI product team as a service” rather than a standalone AI agent platform.
Q2: Who founded Pit?
Pit was founded by Adam Jafer, Fredrik Hjelm, and Filip Lindvall, all cofounders of the European e-scooter company Voi. The engineering team also includes former iZettle and Klarna engineers.
Q3: How much funding has Pit raised and from whom?
Pit has raised a $16 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from Lakestar, Nordic family offices, and American tech executives.
