The Milton Keynes startup, which tripled annual recurring revenue in the 12 months to July 2025, is using the new round to hire a Chief Revenue Officer and continue product development.
Serve First, a British AI-driven customer experience platform, has raised €5.7 million (£5 million) in new funding, according to EU Startups. The round will be used to strengthen the company’s sales and marketing function, including the appointment of a Chief Revenue Officer, and to support continued product development.
It follows a £4.6 million round completed in July 2025 from Pembroke VCT, Mercia Ventures through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, Tiny VCT, and Techstars, alongside angel investors.
Serve First was founded in 2023 by Erol Ayvaz, Alan Mayer, and Antony Tagliamonti and is based in Milton Keynes. Its platform aggregates customer feedback from multiple sources, in-store surveys, online reviews, and mystery shopping, and uses AI to transform that data into actionable insights and automated workflows for frontline teams.
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The company targets sectors including retail, hospitality, wellness, and facilities management, with clients including Aramark and Elior Group, two of the UK’s largest contract catering businesses.
Ayvaz has spent over 20 years in customer experience technology, including time at Asana and Market Force Information. He secured a place on the London Techstars accelerator programme before the previous fundraise and was a member of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II portfolio.
The company tripled its annual recurring revenue in the 12 months prior to the July 2025 round and doubled its headcount. The new capital is aimed at accelerating international expansion into Europe and the US, building on a UK market the company says it has validated through enterprise contract wins.
The customer experience management software market is forecast to grow by $17.1 billion between 2024 and 2029 at a CAGR of 15.7%, according to Technavio, a market trend Serve First and its investors have cited as central to their confidence in the sector.
