Root Signals, a Helsinki and Palo Alto-based startup specializing in generative AI (GenAI) measurement, has successfully raised $2.8 million in funding. The company aims to accelerate business adoption of GenAI by providing enterprise-grade tools for measuring, controlling, and monitoring large language model (LLM) applications.
The funding round was led by Angular Ventures, with additional support from Business Finland. This investment highlights the growing importance of AI supervision and quality control in the rapidly evolving field of generative AI.
Root Signals’ innovative approach, dubbed “EvalOps,” uses AI to monitor AI, employing a technique known as LLM-as-a-judge. This method allows businesses to quantify various aspects of AI output, including hallucinations, relevance, and regulatory compliance. By automating these complex measurements, Root Signals aims to make GenAI applications more quantifiable, reliable, and auditable for production use.
Dr. Ari Heljakka, Founder and CEO of Root Signals, emphasized the need for rigorous quality control in GenAI applications. “GenAI has no built-in quality control. You cannot treat it as traditional software, but rather you need to think of it as an unreliable freelancer,” he explained. The company’s solution provides metrics that are both understandable and easy to maintain in production environments.
The startup has already attracted attention from various sectors, including independent software vendors developing domain-specific AI bots, AI teams in established companies seeking competitive advantage, and LLM software consultants. Root Signals’ technology enables detailed model-to-model comparisons, potentially allowing companies to replace large models like GPTs with smaller, faster on-premise alternatives – a crucial feature for enterprises in regulated industries.
Oguzhan Gencoglu, Head of AI at Root Signals, highlighted the company’s commitment to trustworthiness, stating that they have integrated self-measurability into the core of their evaluation engine.
Angular Ventures’ Gil Dibner expressed confidence in Root Signals’ approach, noting that enterprises will need specialized LLM evaluation tools to successfully implement GenAI projects.
With this new funding, Root Signals plans to accelerate its platform and model development, as well as expand its sales and marketing capabilities. The investment will enable the company to refine its AI measurement tools, potentially making GenAI adoption more accessible and reliable for businesses across various industries. As the demand for AI supervision grows, Root Signals is poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of enterprise AI implementation and management.
