Cerebrium, an AI infrastructure startup founded in Cape Town, South Africa, has raised $8.5 million in seed funding to scale its serverless platform for deploying and running multimodal AI applications.
According to Tech In Africa, the round was led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture capital arm, with additional backing from Y Combinator and Authentic Ventures, signaling strong investor confidence in the company’s vision and growth potential.
Founded in 2021 by Michael Louis and Jonathan Irwin, Cerebrium offers a serverless platform that allows developers to build and deploy AI applications across text, image, and audio without having to manage backend infrastructure.
Its platform supports tools like voice-based AI, real-time digital avatars, and AI-powered healthcare solutions.
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Unlike traditional systems that require GPU provisioning and complex container orchestration, Cerebrium’s serverless architecture automatically scales workloads, cuts down on latency, and reduces the operational burden on developers.
The company already counts major enterprise clients such as Tavus and Deepgram, contributing to its multi-million-dollar annual recurring revenue.
The new funding will be used to grow Cerebrium’s engineering and product teams, expand the platform’s features, and accelerate its go-to-market strategy, especially in the U.S., where the company is now headquartered.
It also aims to deepen partnerships with enterprise clients and speed up customer acquisition efforts.
This milestone marks a major step forward for Cerebrium and reflects increasing investor trust in African-founded tech companies addressing global AI infrastructure challenges.
With backing from Gradient Ventures and Y Combinator, Cerebrium is positioning itself as a serious player in the space for developer infrastructure.
As global investment in AI topped $84 billion in 2024, Cerebrium distinguishes itself with a serverless model that simplifies AI deployment and scaling.
This approach gives it a competitive edge in a market that includes rising startups like StackAI and Artisan, which are focused on building agentic AI systems.
In the coming months, Cerebrium plans to expand its offerings in areas such as live streaming, real-time avatars, and enterprise-grade APIs.
Its rapid growth also points to the increasing ability of South African startups to deliver high-performance AI infrastructure for a global audience.
Cerebrium’s progress reflects the growing recognition of African AI startups that are building developer-first, enterprise-ready infrastructure solutions with international impact.
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Image Credit: Tech Africa News
