Firefox developer Mozilla's CVC unit was among the investors in a $3.2m seed round for Galtea, creator of a simulation testing system for AI.
Web browser provider Mozilla has invested in Galtea, a Spanish startup that has developed a system that can enhance the testing of artificial intelligence products before they go live.
Galtea raised $3.2m in a seed round led by early stage investment firm 42Cap which also featured Mozilla’s corporate venture capital arm, Mozilla Ventures, as well as JME Ventures, Masia and ABAC Nest Ventures. The company has created a software platform that generates realistic testing scenarios for the large language models (LLMs) behind AI software.
“Traditional quality assurance is prepared for testing, let’s say, the product layer – checking if a button works, checking if user flow is working as expected, doing some usability tests and so on,” Galtea co-founder and CEO Jose Palomar (above left) tells GCV.
“But there are no triggers to actually test the intelligence layer, to understand and rigorously check if the LLM acting in the background is working as expected, aligning with the specifications that have been defined by the business area.”
Galtea’s training simulations are intended to be as realistic as possible so organisations can make sure their AI agents are implementing their policies in a range of situations. Palomar says Mozilla Ventures’ participation in the round as a strategic investor is linked to its parent company’s desire to make the internet better.
“Their thesis is basically that they want to have a digital world that is humancentric and beneficial for everyone. And trustworthy AI is one of their main focuses when investing. So, they have a lot of great companies in this space in their portfolio, and they also have a very strong community,” he says.
“Having them on board is not only [about having] a strategic partner, but also a strong sign that we are doing things in the right direction, in terms of contributing to have a better internet.”
Galtea is now looking to expand a customer base that so far includes telecoms firm Telefónica and Spanish bank Abanca. It is not focusing on ecommerce or customer support products that can be improved as they are used but targeting areas where there are high risks for failure, and where there is no room for AI-based mistakes, such as finance, banking, insurance, health, public administration and education. It also wants to grow internationally.
“We want to double down on go-to-market [activities], consolidating ourselves in Iberia – Portugal and Spain – where most of our customer base is right now but also expanding, with an important focus on the UK,” Palomar says.
“We already have some small customers there, but we want to do to land our first, let’s say, relevant logos there and essentially build a go-to-market engine for the UK.”
