Ex-Basketball Pro’s AI Startup Raises $1.3M To Simplify E-Commerce
Ankor AI, a startup founded by Kyle Rowley, has just raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Upfin, according to Tech Funding News. Juni, Pleo, Moss, and Klarna also participated in the funding round. Former basketball player Rowley founded the Swedish fintech company after spending four years working with different finance teams.
During this time, he observed the challenges of accessing financial data, particularly for e-commerce brands seeking credit or a precise cash flow. “I met smart operators who knew exactly what needed to be done, but they were drowning in manual reconciliation,” Rowley said, as stated by Tech EU.
What is Ankor AI?
Ankor AI’s mission is to simplify the world of e-commerce with the help of its Accelerators — purpose-built AI agents designed for specific operational challenges. Its specialized accelerators work within clearly defined guidelines with auditable business logic, independently identifying opportunities and executing solutions with minimal human input.
It also features a Payment Reconciliation Accelerator, a live, specialized AI agent that provides end-to-end traceability from order to payout. It automatically flags misalignments between stores and payment providers, ensuring financial accuracy without requiring manual detective work in spreadsheets.
“We’re not here to give you another dashboard,” Rowley says. “We’re here to give you your time and sanity back.”
What will Ankor do with the funding?
The new fund will help the fintech company prepare for a significant phase of growth as it finalizes its upcoming 3-Way Match product, which will automate purchase order and invoice workflows. It is also preparing to expand into the UK market. Ankor will also scale its integrations across platforms like Shopify, Centra, and Stripe.
“The best platforms start by solving real pain, not pitching grand visions. Kyle went deep into operations, earned genuine trust from operators, and now Ankor has both the data advantage and operator relationships to become an impactful player in the space,” Oliver Sjöstedt, Managing Partner at Upfin, said.
Image: Kyle Rowley
