instep.ai secures £900k pre-seed funding led by Fuel Ventures to scale its property assistant platform
Fuel Ventures led the financing round, which will accelerate sales growth and national expansion across the property sector.
instep.ai provides an artificial intelligence assistant designed to manage inbound enquiries for the property sector. The platform operates continuously across multiple channels to capture lost leads and handle routine administrative tasks.
instep.ai has secured £900k in a pre-seed funding round led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from angel investors. The company provides an artificial intelligence assistant named Ella, which manages inbound estate agency enquiries around the clock across voice, web chat, WhatsApp and email.
The fresh capital will be deployed to accelerate sales growth, drive a national roll-out across the United Kingdom, and secure pilot programmes with large and mid-sized agencies. The platform aims to resolve the persistent sector issue of unanswered customer enquiries without requiring businesses to increase headcount.
The business was founded by Reid Cockrell and Patrick Littlemore, combining software-as-a-service scale-up experience with deep sector expertise from the property industry. Early trials indicate the technology helps branches recover significant valuation opportunities and drive incremental annual fee revenue.
From the founder
"Estate agents are already generating huge volumes of inbound demand, but too much of it is being missed because teams simply can’t be available everywhere, all the time."
Reid Cockrell
CEO at instep.ai
Investor perspective
"The team has demonstrated strong early traction, a deep understanding of their customers, and a product that delivers immediate, measurable value. Reid and Patrick combine exceptional product leadership with real industry insight, and we’re excited to support them as they scale the platform and redefine how agents manage inbound demand."
Mark Pearson
Managing Partner, Fuel Ventures
Use of funds
- 01Invest in sales and marketing
- 02Expand into international markets
- 03Continue product development