总部位于比利时的初创公司Ravical为会计和税务事务所构建人工智能软件，该公司在由MMC Ventures领投的种子轮融资中筹集了1700万美元。现有支持者Lakestar和Pitchdrive也参与了投资，新投资者Shapers也加入了投资。
Belgian startup Ravical, which builds AI software for accounting and tax firms, has raised $17M in a seed round led by MMC Ventures. Existing backers Lakestar and Pitchdrive also invested, along with new investor Shapers.
该公司表示，目前欧洲有100多家会计事务所使用该平台。Ravical计划利用这笔新资金在其主要市场比利时、德国、荷兰和英国实现增长。它还将向全欧洲扩展并在美国推出。
More than 100 accounting firms in Europe now use the platform, the company said. Ravical plans to use the new money to grow in its main markets of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. It will also expand across Europe and launch in the US.
该产品背后的理念是，事务所的专业知识不应依赖于少数人。Ravical记录了事务所经验最丰富的员工如何对案件进行判断和提出建议。
The idea behind the product is that a firm’s know-how should not depend on a few people. Ravical captures how a firm’s most experienced staff judge and advise on cases.
随后，其人工智能将这种相同的方法应用于每个客户，管理者可以查看整个客户群的风险和机遇。
Its AI then applies that same approach to every client, and managers can see risks and opportunities across the whole client base.
首席执行官乔里斯·范德古赫特（Joris Van Der Gucht）表示：“当每个员工都以自己的方式使用自己的助手时，个人能力得到了提升，但事务所却没有。”
“When every employee uses their own assistant in their own way, the individual gets better, but the firm doesn’t,” said chief executive Joris Van Der Gucht.
Ravical认为，会计事务所不能再仅仅通过招聘来发展。对其工作的需求正在上升，但成为会计师的毕业生却在减少，熟练员工也很稀缺。
Ravical argues that accounting firms can no longer grow simply by hiring. Demand for their work is rising, but fewer graduates are becoming accountants, and skilled staff is scarce.
客户自己也在转向人工智能。根据Ravical自己的一项调查，70%的英国中小企业根据人工智能的建议采取行动，而没有向会计师核实。
Clients are also turning to AI themselves. According to Ravical’s own survey, 70% of small and medium-sized UK businesses act on advice from AI without checking with their accountant.
范德古赫特与首席技术官肯·巴斯蒂安森（Ken Bastiaensen）和首席产品官本杰明·范德马利尔（Benjamin Vandermarliere）共同创立了该公司。
Van Der Gucht founded the company with chief technology officer Ken Bastiaensen and chief product officer Benjamin Vandermarliere.
他此前曾联合创立了面向会计师的云平台Silverfin，该平台后来被挪威软件集团Visma收购。
He previously co-founded Silverfin, a cloud platform for accountants that was later bought by Norwegian software group Visma.
MMC Ventures普通合伙人米娜·萨马恩（Mina Samaan）将这一市场机遇比作法律人工智能，诸如Legora等初创公司在法律人工智能领域筹集了巨额资金。萨马恩表示，会计领域的多数人工智能初创公司一次只处理一项任务，而Ravical则旨在为整个事务所提供服务。
Mina Samaan, a general partner at MMC Ventures, compared the opportunity to legal AI, where startups such as Legora have raised large sums. Most AI startups in accounting tackle one task at a time, Samaan said, while Ravical aims to work across a whole firm.
萨马恩说：“会计领域尚未迎来属于它的Harvey或Legora时刻。我们在该领域遇到的大多数人工智能初创公司都在为单一任务或工作流程构建点解决方案。”
“Accounting hasn’t had its Harvey or Legora moment yet. Most of the AI startups we’ve met in the space are building point solutions for a single task or workflow,” Samaan said.