Zero Raises €8.9M Seed Led by Primary Venture Partners for AI-Native GTM Operating System

Zero Raises €8.9M Seed Led by Primary Venture Partners

Zero, a Helsinki-based startup building an AI-native go-to-market operating system, has raised €8.9 million in seed funding led by Primary Venture Partners. The round was announced on September 15, 2026, and includes participation from Ilkka Paananen, Defiant, Peter Sarlin, Greens Ventures, Inception Fund, and Fabian Hedin.

What Zero Does

Zero is building an AI-native go-to-market operating system that replaces the CRM and the surrounding stack of sales tools with one platform. In Zero's model, AI agents run prospecting, keep pipeline current, and monitor customer health. Rather than layering AI features on top of a traditional CRM, the company positions its platform as a consolidated replacement for the CRM plus separate tools.

Traction and Go-to-Market

Before opening to the public in September 2026, Zero ran a private beta with hundreds of users. Customers such as Teamspective, Watchdog, and Emfas report running their whole commercial motion on Zero instead of a CRM plus separate tools, according to the company.

The Team

Zero was founded in 2024 by Tuomo Riekki, co-founder of Smartly.io, and Santtu Koivumäki, former go-to-market lead at Smartly.io. The founding team's background combines experience scaling a software company with direct go-to-market leadership, which aligns with the company's focus on the commercial stack.

Why This Round Matters

The seed round reflects continued investor interest in applications that use AI agents to compress and automate sales workflows. Zero's approach targets a familiar pain point for revenue teams: fragmented tooling across CRM, prospecting, and customer health monitoring. By consolidating these functions into a single AI-native platform, the company aims to reduce the operational overhead of maintaining multiple systems.

With the public launch following a private beta of hundreds of users, the funding gives Zero resources to expand its platform at a moment when go-to-market teams are evaluating how much of their commercial motion can be run by AI agents.

Key Facts

• Company: Zero
• Round: Seed
• Amount: €8.9 million
• Lead investor: Primary Venture Partners
• Additional investors: Ilkka Paananen, Defiant, Peter Sarlin, Greens Ventures, Inception Fund, Fabian Hedin
• Funding date: September 15, 2026
• Founded: 2024
• Founders: Tuomo Riekki, Santtu Koivumäki
• Headquarters: Helsinki
• Focus: AI-native go-to-market operating system replacing the CRM and surrounding sales tools
• Notable customers: Teamspective, Watchdog, Emfas