Cape Town-based AI research platform Yazi has raised its first institutional funding round from 3 Capital Ventures at a pre-money valuation of $1.6 million, the company said. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
Founded in 2022 by Chief Executive Timothy Treagus and Chief Technology Officer Mzwandile Sotsaka, Yazi enables companies to conduct surveys, interviews, diary studies and panel research via WhatsApp. Its platform uses artificial intelligence to engage respondents in conversational formats, ask follow-up questions and analyse responses in real time.
The investment comes from 3 Capital Ventures, an early-stage firm spun out of Allan Gray. The funding will be used to advance product development, expand Yazi’s research panel and support international growth.
As part of its roadmap, Yazi plans to introduce automated voice interviews on WhatsApp and broaden its participant base across Africa, while scaling demand from research agencies in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The company currently operates in more than 15 countries and has access to 1.8 million pre-qualified research participants. Its client base includes Old Mutual, Pick n Pay, Discovery, Capitec and Ipsos.
Yazi said revenue increased 2.5 times over the past financial year, with 64% month-on-month growth recorded in the most recent quarter. More than 65% of its revenue is generated in foreign currencies.
Treagus attributed the company’s growth in part to AI-driven search visibility. “We rank number one on Google for WhatsApp research keywords and more than 80% of our leads come through AI search,” he said.