Empromptu raises $2 million to help organizations build AI applications

Sheena Levine says she learned two important lessons when starting her first company, CodeSee. The first lesson was to know the difference between what companies need and what sounds fantasy; The second is that the basics always apply, even with new technologies like artificial intelligence.

“Security, compliance, reliability, quality, these things aren’t just going away for enterprise applications,” she said.

After acquiring CodeSee in 2024, Levin decided she wanted to build a product that would allow business owners, even those without technical backgrounds, to build AI applications. She teamed up with AI researcher Sean Robinson, and last October, they launched impromptu, An AI service that companies can use to build AI applications.

Empromptu claims that all a user has to do is tell the platform’s chatbot what they want — such as a new HTML or JavaScript app — and the tool will go ahead and build it. It also provides LLM tools to help users if they want to improve any results, and also allows companies to add AI features to their existing codebases.

Levin doesn’t see it as a crypto platform, though it is looking to compete with companies like Replit and Lovable.

“Vibe’s coding is great for quick experiments, but Empromptu is what turns those experiments into real software,” she said. Empromptu “turns ideas into productivity features with built-in evaluation, governance, and self-improvement,” she continued. “You’re shipping to real customers, with real data and complete control. If passionate programming is brainstorming, Empromptu is building.”

The company said on Tuesday that it had raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Precursor Ventures. Zeal Capital, Alumni Ventures, Founders Edge and South Loop also participated.

The new capital will be used to hire employees and develop new technology of their own, Levin said.

The company hopes to target companies launching in regulated industries or “highly complex” areas that involve capturing data and creating applications — software that serves hotels, for example.

Overall, Levin hopes founders will feel they can transform their businesses without having to learn the technical skills to take advantage of the AI ​​revolution.

“It’s like any other skill,” Levine said. “And the beauty of this skill is that AI can help you learn it along the way.”