How Freya Raised Funding Straight Out of YC and Landed a Bank as Their First Customer

Signal Line

From winning national Math Olympiads and conducting quantum computing research with Caltech professors to raising funding straight out of Y Combinator, Tunga’s journey is a deep dive into innovation, focus, and execution.

We discuss:

- His early years as a math and robotics Olympian

- Research in quantum algorithms and machine learning

- Building Freya, a voice AI company revolutionizing customer service

- Landing their first banking customer during YC

- Lessons from Y Combinator, B2B sales, and founder life

- Expanding into international markets including Turkey and the Czech Republic

If you’re a startup founder, technologist, or someone who loves hearing authentic stories of perseverance and innovation, this episode is for you.

About Freya:

Freya builds human-like voice AI agents that help companies resolve customer issues faster by automating repetitive call center operations in finance, insurance, and fintech. https://freyavoice.ai/

About ImagineAI:

We build your B2B content pipeline so prospects find you, trust you, and book meetings before your competitors even get a reply. https://www.imagineai.me/

Learn more about Tunga:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tunga-bayrak/

Learn more about Sky:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyyang/

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Subscribe to Signal Line for more conversations with the builders shaping the future.

Timestamps

0:00 – Intro

0:40 – Welcome to Signal Line

1:00 – What is Freya

2:30 – Funding Round and YC Journey

4:30 – How the Co-Founders Met

5:45 – Math and Quantum Computing Background

8:20 – Voice AI and the Future of Customer Service

10:20 – First Customer Story (a Bank)

12:30 – YC Takeaways and Founder Lessons

14:00 – Vegas Conference Story

14:40 – Founder Life and Closing Thoughts