Why 11x Believes Autonomous Digital Workers Are the Future of Work

“Hundreds of millions of human beings across the world spend every hour of their working life on repetitive intellectual labour. To spend a day filling out tax forms, or manually entering data, or prospecting leads: this is a demoralising state of affairs not befitting our technological progress. Digital Workers shall change this.” These words form the foundation of 11x, a startup that would redefine how we think about work automation.

The Early Days and Founding Vision

The story begins with Hasan Sukkar, who at age 14 created his first online marketplace. By 17, he was navigating life as a Syrian refugee in the UK, later studying engineering at the University of Exeter before venturing into venture capital. His first job experience – moving data between spreadsheets – sparked what would become 11x. “Super repetitive and monotonous,” he called it, igniting his passion for automation.

In Q3 2022, Sukkar conceived 11x with a simple concept: digital workers who could function as virtual employees, working around the clock. Initially considering the freelancer market with an “Upwork for virtual workers” approach, the team pivoted in Q1 2023 to focus specifically on the SDR (Sales Development Representative) vertical.

What set 11x apart was their methodical approach to development. With just six product-minded employees, they spent 7-8 months working closely with design partners, literally sitting beside SDRs to observe their daily routines. They analyzed the differences between top 5% performers and average SDRs, incorporating these insights into their digital worker designs.

Platform X

11x launched Platform X as their flagship project – a no-code platform enabling anyone to build, share, and deploy Digital Workers. The platform was designed to make automating AI-powered workflows seamless, whether for specific tasks or general workflows. This wasn’t just another tool; it was the infrastructure for millions to build, share, and deploy Digital Workers.

Meet Alice

Alice emerged as 11x’s first breakthrough. As an AI-powered SDR, she represented something entirely new in the market. Having processed trillions of bytes of data and over 500 million leads, Alice could curate lists of high-value prospects and craft highly-personalized outbound campaigns. The results were impressive: Alice generated 70-80 qualified meetings weekly for 11x. Through founder-led sales, Sukkar personally handled these meetings until the company exceeded $700,000 in ARR. When the first two AEs joined in early February, they generated over $200,000 in ARR in their first month.

“The age of high volume, templated outreach is much less effective than it ever was,” Sukkar noted, emphasizing Alice’s ability to personalize at scale. Rather than spending 20 minutes on research, AI could efficiently personalize outreach while maintaining relevance.

Jordan

Building on the success of Alice, 11x introduced Jordan, an AI-powered phone representative that redefined customer interactions. With 24/7 availability and multilingual support across 30+ languages, Jordan brought advanced capabilities such as real-time adaptability, cutting-edge natural language processing (NLP), and voice recognition to enhance customer conversations. The system seamlessly integrated with various platforms, offered both cloud and on-premise deployment options, and delivered comprehensive data processing and analytics. Jordan also featured advanced call analysis, evaluating mood, tone, and sentiment to provide deeper insights. This innovation led to a tenfold improvement in the speed of inbound lead follow-ups while managing inbound and outbound calls with consistent brand alignment.

Quick update from 11x – Today, we’re thrilled to announce our $50M Series B funding led by @a16z .

Read our full Manifesto here: https://t.co/moBEdgmM7q

In 1999, Salesforce brought software to the cloud. In 2024, 11x is killing traditional software as we know it.

So, what sets… pic.twitter.com/Tzp3hiWMz1

— 11x (@11x_official) November 11, 2024

Funding and Growth

11x’s growth trajectory has been nothing short of extraordinary. The company secured an initial $2 million seed round led by Project A Ventures, followed by a $24 million Series A in September 2024, spearheaded by Benchmark. By November 2024, 11x closed a $50 million Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, pushing its valuation to an impressive $320 million. Backed by a lineup of prominent investors, including Quiet Capital, SV Angel, Abstract Ventures, Lux Capital, Operator Partners, Visionaries, Activant, HubSpot Ventures, Project A, 20VC, 20Growth, and 20Sales, 11x has positioned itself as a formidable player in the AI-driven customer interaction space.

Quick update from 11x – Today, we’re thrilled to announce our $50M Series B funding led by @a16z .

Read our full Manifesto here: https://t.co/moBEdgmM7q

In 1999, Salesforce brought software to the cloud. In 2024, 11x is killing traditional software as we know it.

So, what sets… pic.twitter.com/Tzp3hiWMz1

— 11x (@11x_official) November 11, 2024

Technical Innovation and Approach

11x differentiated itself through its technical architecture. Instead of traditional SaaS components, they built specialized agents that create self-improving loops. “You’re going from automating small tasks to automating whole workflows,” Sukkar explained. “The value is much higher and the willingness-to-pay for solving a holistic problem is higher.”

11x’s value proposition is compelling, offering a cost-effective and performance-driven solution for businesses. Their AI-driven platform operates at five times lower costs than hiring human SDRs when factoring in full expenses, while delivering twice the performance of average SDRs. The platform’s rapid deployment and scalability further enhance its appeal. With a task-based pricing model adopted by 90% of their customers and an experimental outcome-based pricing option for select clients, 11x provides a flexible and results-oriented approach tailored to modern business needs.

Strategic Acquisitions and Team

11x took a significant step in strengthening its AI voice technology by acquiring Opkit, a healthcare-focused AI startup. This acquisition not only enhanced their technological expertise but also expanded their team with the addition of Opkit co-founders Sherwood Callaway and Justin Ko, who now work alongside CTO Prabhav Jain and product leader Keith Fearon to drive innovation.

As part of its forward-looking vision, 11x is focused on developing Alice 2.0, an enhanced version equipped with self-improving capabilities and integrated first-party data. The company aims to extend the reach of its digital workforce across all go-to-market functions while creating a unified system of record for both digital and human collaborators. Another key focus is improving the integration between Alice, Jordan, and future digital agents, ensuring seamless collaboration. Additionally, 11x is exploring ways AI can actively contribute to closing deals, aiming to revolutionize the sales process with advanced automation and intelligence.

“We want to enable a future of a three person unicorn,” Sukkar declared, emphasizing his belief in reduced human requirements per $1M in ARR. The company’s velocity-driven approach remains central to their strategy. As Sukkar puts it, “Velocity defies gravity. It’s ultimately the only advantage we have over other companies.”

For aspiring founders, Sukkar emphasizes the importance of staying close to customers during the early stages, ensuring that the solutions being developed address real problems comprehensively. He advocates for a focus on vertical solutions that deliver specific, impactful outcomes and encourages founders to embrace technical risks as a pathway to innovation. Sukkar also highlights the necessity of building a strong company culture from the outset, seeing it as a cornerstone for long-term success.

The company’s San Francisco headquarters continues to expand, with aggressive hiring in development, product management, and AI innovation. Their ultimate goal remains clear: redefine how businesses operate by replacing traditional software with digital workers that enhance productivity and reduce operational costs.

The impact of 11x extends beyond mere automation. As they state, “Soon, every workplace will include a multitude of autonomous agents. These agents will work with precision and efficiency as they sweep up repetitive and mundane tasks.”