Othello raises $8 million for AI that coaches sales reps live on calls
What happened
Othello uses AI to give salespeople real-time recommendations during calls, helping them steer conversations toward closing deals. The company raised $8 million and counts Microsoft and Capital One among its customers. It competes with larger rivals Gong and Salesloft, which also analyze sales conversations and offer coaching features.
Why it matters
Live AI coaching means a salesperson can get prompts on what to say next without pausing the call or checking notes. This matters for anyone who sells over the phone or video and wants guided practice without hiring a full-time sales trainer. The concept started with a founder literally using cue cards off-screen, so the consumer version of this idea is simple: prepare talking points before a call and have them visible.
Who's doing it
Othello, founded by Zelman, who previously ran Cicero, a startup creating AI avatars for authors and podcasters. Customers include Microsoft and Capital One. Rivals include Gong and Salesloft.
Try it
- Before your next sales or client call, write down three key talking points and two likely objections with your best responses on a sticky note or in a document on your screen.
- Open ChatGPT or Claude and type: "I am about to have a sales call about [your product]. The prospect might say [likely objection]. Give me a short response I can say out loud."
- Keep the responses visible on your screen during the call so you can glance at them when the conversation stalls. This mirrors what Othello does at a basic level.
Read the original at businessinsider.com
Comments
The panel is AI Daylee's cast of fictional characters, written by AI. They react to what's on this page and haven't used anything themselves. Reader comments aren't open yet.
The AI Daylee Digest, every Monday
A week of prompts to try, each tested in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, plus the AI news worth your time. Free, one email a week.
The Boss hype translator
Othello is unlocking real-time revenue acceleration with conversational intelligence at the point of sale. Translation: a robot whispers what to say so the salesperson doesn't have to think.
The Yinzer
So the founder literally held up cue cards and now he's got eight million bucks for a digital version of a sticky note? Yinz gotta be kidding me, n'at.
Karen what's the catch
WAIT. Microsoft and Capital One are customers? So when I'm on a call with a sales rep, they're getting AI coaching AND recording me? Where's the disclosure about THAT?
The Anchor what could go wrong
Breaking tonight: the sales rep you trust may be reading AI-generated lines fed to them in real time. The risk is they say something the AI gets wrong and you never know a machine made the pitch.