Summary
Überblick
Vienna, September 9, 2025 – Vienna-based AI startup fonio.ai has acquired Linz-based AI phone assistant fluently in an asset deal. With this transaction, fonio.ai integrates its largest competitor in the Austrian market to date, further cementing its leading position in Voice AI solutions.
“AI phone assistants are one of the most natural applications of artificial intelligence, and we were fortunate to start very early in the DACH market. That head start has given us tremendous momentum in recent months. The acquisition of fluently marks a major step forward. We anticipate further consolidation in the market,” says Daniel Keinrath, CEO and co-founder of fonio.ai.
Background on the acquisition
fluently was launched by the Linz-based digital agency softwarebude.at and quickly established itself as a strong brand as AI phone assistant in Austria. With around 450 customers, fluently ranked among fonio.ai’s most significant competitors.
“We decided to sell in order to focus on further growing our digital agency. Scaling fluently in parallel would have required shifting our entire focus to the AI business. Given the speed at which technology and the market are evolving, and the pace of fonio.ai, it simply wasn’t feasible for us,” explains Moritz Weibold, founder of fluently.
As part of the asset deal, fluently will now be integrated into fonio.ai. Meanwhile, softwarebude.at will continue to operate independently and serve its clients using fonio.ai’s infrastructure. The agency will also become a strategic partner of fonio.ai, distributing its AI solutions and developing customized automations and integrations—for example, connecting fonio.ai to systems such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or SAP.
Rapid growth in the first year
In less than twelve months, fonio.ai has acquired more than 2,000 customers and now automates around 800,000 calls per month with a team of just eight employees. With average monthly growth of around 30 percent, the company is on track to reach between 5,000 and 8,000 customers by the end of the year.
“The market for AI phone assistants is only just beginning to take shape. As the DACH market leader, fonio.ai is playing a central role in defining it. Our next step is international expansion, with the clear goal of becoming a global player. We want to prove that it’s possible to build an international tech leader out of Austria,” concludes Keinrath.
Photo caption: Matthias Reiner, Moritz Weibold, Daniel Keinrath
Copyright: Kurt Keinrath
About fonio.ai
Founded in Vienna in 2024, fonio.ai helps businesses automate customer communication with AI-powered phone assistants. The platform enables companies to create a personalized voice assistant that answers calls around the clock, forwards inquiries, books appointments, and integrates seamlessly with CRM and ERP systems. Each interaction is transcribed and can be stored, shared, or connected directly to existing business tools. In less than a year, fonio.ai has grown to over 2,000 customers and now automates more than 800,000 calls monthly, making it the leading provider of AI phone solutions in the DACH region. More at www.fonio.ai
Press Contact:
Gabriel Hining
Reiter PR
+43 670 1895066
Gabriel.hining@reiterpr.com