Fluency raises $9m to automate process discovery-and cut consultant spend
Managers don't need another AI demo. They need a clear view of where time and money are leaking. Fluency, a platform that records and analyzes how work actually gets done across apps, just raised $9 million in seed funding led by Accel, valuing the company at more than $30 million.
What happened
The seed round included DST Global Partners, Mixture of Experts, Carya Venture Partners, Archangel Ventures and NextGen Ventures. The company says it can deploy in under an hour, capture activity across every application employees use without integrations, and flag repetitive, manual tasks as prime candidates for automation.
Fluency also claims it can redact sensitive information at the source and track whether transformation initiatives actually move the needle-helping teams prove ROI and course-correct faster.
Why it matters for managers
This is the kind of visibility you usually hire management consultants for. Instead of interviews and spreadsheets, you get real activity data across tools and teams-within days, not months. That can save six to 12 months of discovery work and keep improvement efforts honest.
How it works (in plain terms)
- Detects and documents workflows by capturing on-screen activity across apps-no integrations required.
- Highlights high-volume, low-variance tasks where automation pays off first.
- Redacts sensitive data while recording, with controls for compliance and access.
- Monitors post-change performance to confirm impact and inform next steps.
Traction and backstory
Founded in 2023 by Finnlay Morcombe and Oliver Farnill in Melbourne, Fluency now serves 50+ customers and partners, including AON, PVH Corp and Houghton Mifflin. The founders are currently US-based to scale growth.
In early 2025, Fluency joined the Startmate accelerator and raised a $1.5 million pre-seed led by HammerTech co-founder Bradley Tabone and Archangel Ventures. The new $9 million seed round brings fresh capital and signal for enterprise adoption.
Investor view
"Fluency stood out to us because of its focus on operational fundamentals, not experimentation for its own sake," said Accel partner Abhinav Chaturevdi. He added that AI capability is no longer the limiting factor; the real challenge is knowing where to apply it.
If you're considering a pilot
- Start with 1-2 teams for two weeks to build a baseline. Focus on high-volume, rules-driven work.
- Set clear success metrics before you begin: cycle time, error rate, SLA hits, and cost per transaction.
- Loop in Legal, HR and IT early. Align on consent, data retention, and who can access recordings.
- Use findings to prioritize a 90-day automation backlog. Ship small wins first; prove value, then scale.
- Compare outcomes against consultant proposals to validate scope, timing and expected ROI.
- Communicate with staff. This maps work, not people. Make the goal explicit: remove busywork, not jobs.
Watch-outs
- Perception risk: without upfront comms, activity capture can feel like surveillance.
- Process fit: best for digital, repeatable work. Messy, exception-heavy processes may need redesign first.
- Governance: ensure redaction settings match your compliance posture and jurisdictional rules.
Bottom line for management
If your transformation roadmap lacks hard data, you're guessing. Tools like Fluency can compress discovery, surface the fastest paybacks, and verify impact in weeks. That means fewer workshops, fewer stale slide decks, and a clearer path to profitable automation.
Upskilling your team for this shift? See role-focused options here: AI courses by job.
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