What is Pit and how is it different from other AI tools?

Pit does not consider itself a chatbot, low-code editor, or classic automation tool. Instead, it describes itself as an "AI product team as a service." Its founders, including former CEO and co-founder of Voi Fredrik Hjelm and former Voi CTO Adam Jafer, draw from their own experience: at companies like Voi, Klarna, and iZettle, they saw talented people spending hours on routine administration, manually transferring data between systems, or approving invoices by email.

"The pivotal moment came when models stopped being just chatbots generating text and became agentic — capable of actually doing something," CEO Adam Jafer told TechCrunch. Pit therefore focuses on back-office, service, and support. It does not sell conversational AI for customers, but systems that automate internal processes — from processing contracts through campaigns to spare parts logistics.

How does the platform work? Pit Studio and Pit Cloud

The platform rests on two pillars. Pit Studio allows employees to walk the AI through their daily workflows, teach it operational tasks, and define what should be automated. The second part, Pit Cloud, then deploys the resulting automations in an environment that meets enterprise requirements for governance, certifications, and auditability.

Companies thus receive custom-built software, not a generic tool that they would have to adapt their processes to. According to Pit, this means no compromises, no unused features, and no licenses for capabilities the company doesn't need. If a process changes, the platform adapts and documents the new logic.

Clients already testing the service include Swedish operator Tre, healthcare platform Kry, transport startup Voi, and logistics company Stena. For example, Kry uses Pit for a fully automated invoicing workflow that previously kept nurses away from patient care.

Investment from a16z and ambitions in the European market

A seed round of $16 million is led by the renowned American venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which is actively hunting for the next European unicorn in Stockholm. Pit joins other promising Swedish AI projects and confirms that Stockholm ranks among Europe's most vibrant startup hubs.

However, the founders emphasize that money was not the main reason for the partnership. "We didn't need the money to get started, but we wanted the strongest partners," explained Fredrik Hjelm. Alongside a16z, European fund Lakestar, executives from American tech companies, and Nordic family offices also joined the round. This transatlantic investor structure indicates that interest in European agentic AI is growing across the Atlantic as well.

Security and compliance as a competitive advantage

At a time when European CIOs are figuring out how to meet GDPR, NIS2, and the upcoming EU AI Act, Pit emphasizes governance and sovereign technology. The platform offers SSO, role-based access control, full audit trails, tenant isolation, and is aligned with the ISO 27001 standard. For regulated sectors, it enables operation on EU-hosted models with full data residency in the European Union.

"Model approaches running on European computing infrastructure are priority number one for almost every CIO we meet," said Jafer. This could be crucial for Czech and Central European companies that face strict data protection requirements and often cannot freely transfer information to American clouds.

What impact does this have for Czech companies?

For Czech businesses, especially in the mid- to large-size category, Pit offers an interesting alternative to two traditional paths: buying generic SaaS or expensive custom development. The platform promises faster deployment of internal tools without the need to expand the development team. This can be particularly valuable in situations where Czech companies are struggling with a shortage of IT specialists.

Pricing is not yet public, but Pit explicitly targets mid- and large-sized enterprises. Interested parties must contact the company directly. The startup also employs forward-deployed engineers who work directly at the client and help adapt the agents to the specific corporate environment.

This is another signal that the European AI scene is not lagging behind the American one. With a strong team, renowned investors, and a product that addresses real corporate pain points, Pit could soon cross the borders of Scandinavia. And for Czech companies, it means a new way to get their own AI automation — without the risk of vendor lock-in and with full control over their data.