Business

DRUID AI raises $31 million Series C, appoints new CEO

Published

3 hours ago

September 17, 2025

DRUID AI, a Romanian-born technology company, today announced it has secured $31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO Joseph Kim. The strategic investment, which will advance DRUID AI’s mission to empower companies to create, manage, and orchestrate conversational AI agents, was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures.

“This investment is both a testament to DRUID AI’s success and a catalyst to elevate businesses globally through the power of agentic AI,” said Kim. “Customer success is what it’s all about, and delivering real business outcomes requires understanding companies’ pain points and introducing innovations that help those customers address their complex challenges. That’s the DRUID AI way, and now we’re bringing it to the world through this new phase of global growth.”

Kim has more than two decades of operating executive experience in application, infrastructure, and security industries. Most recently, he was CEO of Sumo Logic. He serves on the boards of directors of SmartBear and Andela. In addition, he was a senior operating partner at private equity firm Francisco Partners, CPTO at Citrix, SolarWinds, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and chief architect at GE.

DRUID AI cofounder and Chief Operating Officer Andreea Plesea, who had been interim CEO, commented: “I am delighted Joseph is taking the reins as CEO to drive our next level of growth. His commitment to customer success and developing the exact solutions customers need is in total sync with the approach that has fueled our progress and positioned us to raise new funds. Joseph and the Series C set up DRUID AI and our clients for expanded innovation and impact.”

The appointment of Kim as CEO and the new funding come on the heels of DRUID AI earning a Challenger spot in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Conversational AI Platforms for 2025. This is just the latest development validating the maturity of DRUID AI’s platform and its readiness to deliver business results in a market that is experiencing rapid advancement and adoption.

In 2024, DRUID AI grew ARR 2.7x year-over-year. Its award-winning platform has powered more than 1 billion conversations across thousands of agents. In addition, the DRUID AI global partner ecosystem has attracted industry giants Microsoft, Genpact, Cognizant, and Accenture.

The founder of Druid AI, Liviu Dragan, had passed away unexpectedly in May 2025.

DRUID AI is trusted by more than 300 global clients across banking, financial services, government, healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications. Leading organizations such as AXA Insurance, Carrefour, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Georgia Southern University, Kmart Australia, Liberty Global Group, MatrixCare, National Health Service, and Orange Auchan have adopted DRUID AI to redefine the way they operate.

Companies have embraced DRUID AI to help teams accelerate digital operations, reduce the complexity of day-to-day work, enhance user experience, and maximize technology ROI. Powered by advanced agentic AI and driven by the DRUID Conductor, its core orchestration engine, the DRUID platform enables businesses to effortlessly deploy AI agents and intelligent apps that streamline processes, integrate seamlessly with existing systems, and fulfill complex requests efficiently. DRUID AI’s end-to-end platform delivers 98% first response accuracy.

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Business

South Africa to launch AI-powered electronic travel authorisation system

Published

48 minutes ago

September 17, 2025

The Editors

The system will be officially unveiled by Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber at the Tourism Business Council of South Africa’s annual conference.

According to the government, the platform will initially process tourist visa applications for short stays of up to 90 days.

By the end of September, the system will go live at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International Airport, before gradually expanding to other ports of entry and additional visa categories.

Minister Schreiber has described the initiative as a critical step toward eliminating inefficiencies and fraud: “Over time, the ETA will be expanded to more visa categories and rolled out at more ports of entry. This scale-up will continue until no person can enter South Africa without obtaining a digital visa through the ETA.”

A shift from paper to digital

The ETA builds on promises made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his February State of the Nation Address, where he pledged to digitize immigration processes.

However, questions remain about the future of South Africa’s existing e-Visa portal, which currently serves over 30 countries.

Authorities have yet to confirm whether the ETA will replace or operate alongside the e-Visa system, raising concerns over possible duplication for travelers.

Africa’s need for openness

While the ETA aims to strengthen security and streamline border processes, experts say South Africa’s move also highlights a broader challenge: African countries remain less open to each other than to the rest of the world.

Intra-African visa restrictions have long been cited as a barrier to deeper trade and tourism links.

Greater openness, facilitated by modern systems like ETA, could help African nations unlock the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Easier cross-border movement would not only boost tourism but also support small businesses, regional logistics, and labor mobility, which are all essential for building competitive economies on the continent.

The bigger picture

South Africa’s ETA may be a milestone for its tourism and border security, but its broader significance lies in setting a regional precedent.

As African countries digitize entry systems, the real opportunity lies in aligning these policies to make cross-border travel smoother for African citizens.

If deployed strategically, ETA systems could help turn Africa’s longstanding vision of free movement, and by extension stronger intra-African trade, into a practical reality.

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Business

Workday to buy AI company Sana for $1.1bn

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2025

Laura Varley

The acquisition will enable the organisation to extend its AI capabilities.

US-based Enterprise software company Workday has announced plans to acquire AI platform Sana, in a deal valued at $1.1bn. By acquiring Sana, Workday aims to leverage the company’s AI knowledge and further itself amid a landscape that is focused on AI innovation.

“Sana’s team, AI-native approach and beautiful design perfectly align with our vision to reimagine the future of work,” said Gerrit Kazmaier, the president for product and technology at Workday.

He added, “This will make Workday the new front door for work, delivering a proactive, personalised, and intelligent experience that unlocks unmatched AI capabilities for the workplace.”

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Workday will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Sana for approximately $1.1 bn. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year in 2026.

The acquisition comes amid a time in which organisations across the globe are racing to implement AI technologies to address and even assume the challenges that arise in the workplace.

For example, in the past few months alone French technology services company Capgemini acquired US-based WNS to extend its AI reach. Aryza, a Dublin-based SaaS provider acquired conversational artificial intelligence provider Webio for an undisclosed sum and OpenAI said it was buying Io, an AI start-up founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and several former Apple engineers.

Several governments too have unveiled broad spectrum plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into their national strategies, with a focus on business growth and improving the lives of citizens.

But significant concerns have been raised about AI’s potential to replace humans in the workforce, as agentic AI tech is further developed and topics of ‘onboarding AI’ become more mainstream.

Forrester vp and principal analyst Craig Le Clair recently discussed the issue of ‘AI employees’, explaining that AI-led layoffs are not far off and that he would expect job descriptions for an AI agent to be a reality by 2027.

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