Needle, an AI-driven search and agent development platform, recently closed a $2.2 million seed funding round led by 468 Capital and Presight Capital. This investment will support expansion efforts within the engineering team, enhance core technology, and accelerate go-to-market strategies.
Operating from dual headquarters in San Francisco and Berlin, Needle addresses a widespread challenge in modern enterprises — unlocking valuable information trapped in legacy systems, fragmented structures, and siloed storage. Traditional AI solutions often struggle to process such data, resulting in inefficiencies, communication barriers, and missed opportunities for AI-driven optimization.
To solve this issue, Needle introduces a unified search layer capable of scanning internal systems, including Gmail, Confluence, and GitHub. By integrating existing tools such as Slack, Dropbox, and Gmail, the platform indexes data for instant searchability and accessibility. A web interface or API enables users to retrieve insights, streamline workflows, and develop powerful AI agents without requiring advanced technical expertise.
Agentic retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology powers the platform, delivering precise, reliable responses that enhance productivity. Implementing RAG within an agent framework often demands significant time, expertise, and resources, but Needle simplifies the process, making AI adoption more accessible.
Founded by Onur Eken (CTO) and Jan Heimes (CEO), Needle benefits from leadership with deep expertise in AI and data engineering. Eken previously led engineering teams at Everstores and contributed to scaling Delivery Hero and Celonis. Heimes worked as a data engineer at Climeworks and Notable Labs (YC 2015). Firsthand experience with inefficiencies in data accessibility led to a mission of democratizing AI adoption and enabling organizations to become AI-powered.
Jan Heimes, CEO and co-founder of Needle, stated:
"Organizations are sitting on goldmines of data current AI systems simply cannot tap into. Our platform provides the foundation for organizations to understand, identify and quickly leverage their existing data assets and build powerful AI applications with just a few clicks."
Florian Leibert, General Partner of 468 Capital, added:
"Businesses and organizations should not have to hire a team of specialists or spend months working to integrate AI. The team at Needle have found a quick and easy solution for businesses of all sizes to unlock the full potential of their data for AI applications."
With the global artificial intelligence market valued at nearly $200 billion in 2023 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 36.6% through 2030, Needle is well-positioned to capitalize on increasing demand by addressing challenges in data accessibility and AI deployment.
Image credit: Needle