In this episode of StartupExplore, I talk with Peter Moot, CEO & Co-founder of Promi.ai — a YC-backed, seed-stage startup using AI to personalize pricing discounts for e-commerce retailers.

We dive into:
- How Promi helps merchants boost revenue while protecting margins
- The AI powering real-time discount personalization
- Peter’s journey from Uber to building Promi
- Lessons from YC and what’s next for Promi

In this conversation, Giedrius Daubaris, CEO and co-founder of Exante, discusses the innovative AI agents being developed for the contract to cash cycle. He explains how these agents streamline finance operations by automating complex billing, accounts receivable management, and enhancing cash flow. Giedrius emphasizes the importance of proactive contract management, the benefits of automated data extraction, and the unique agentic architecture that sets Exante apart in the competitive landscape. He also shares insights into the company's market traction, future features, and the journey of fundraising, while highlighting the significance of building trust in finance automation.

In this episode, Kieran Taylor, co-founder of Midship.ai, walks us through how his YC-backed startup is building AI tools tailored for financial auditors. He breaks down exactly how the product works — from automating test-of-detail procedures to preparing first-draft workpapers — and highlights key features like Excel integration, configurability, and audit trail visibility. We discuss the $200B+ audit market ripe for disruption, how Midship stacks up against legacy tools, and the long-term vision of moving from audit sampling to continuous transaction monitoring. Kieran also shares the backgrounds of his technical co-founders, the journey which led to start Midship, and what’s next for the team.

In this conversation, Philippe Noël, co-founder of ParadeDB, explores how their technology enhances PostgreSQL, starting with search and advanced analytics—just the beginning of a broader vision. He shares insights on reducing downtime, improving performance, and ParadeDB’s early success with Alibaba. The discussion covers technical challenges, deployment, and the competitive landscape, along with Philippe’s journey and the small team driving innovation.