In Morocco, ToumAI is quietly asserting its place in the AI innovation race, focusing on bridging gaps in AI solutions for emerging markets, particularly in Africa. While global advancements in artificial intelligence have largely been driven by tech giants in the US, China, and Europe, African startups like ToumAI are proving the continent has a vital role to play.
Youcef Rahmani, Chief Operating Officer of ToumAI, shared his pride in building AI applications from Africa for global markets, stating, “In a world where AI advancement has been dominated by the US, China, and to a lesser extent Europe, we are proud to be building an important AI application layer from Africa.”
Rahmani, originally from Algeria and with a background in project finance and law, met co-founders Odin Demassieux and Imade Benelallam at a tech event in Casablanca. Benelallam, a computer science professor researching under-resourced languages, shared his work, which led to the discovery of a major issue: AI systems had no provisions for African languages. This gap created difficulty for businesses looking to leverage AI to serve their African customers more effectively, thus providing the spark for ToumAI’s mission.
ToumAI’s solution focuses on AI-driven customer experience (CX) solutions tailored to emerging markets. AI models, predominantly trained with data from widely spoken languages such as English, leave African languages out of the equation, despite being spoken by over a billion people. ToumAI tackles this challenge by collaborating with businesses like telecom providers, banks, and call centers to collect and analyze voice data, enabling AI systems to understand local dialects, accents, and speech patterns more effectively than traditional models.
Rahmani explains that voice-driven applications are essential, especially in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 40% of the adult population may be illiterate. Enabling voice orders and commands in local languages opens up opportunities for these communities, unlocking digital platforms and empowering users.
ToumAI initially started by focusing on text analysis but pivoted to voice to address literacy challenges and bridge the barrier created by text-based solutions. In 2022, ToumAI’s first proof of concept worked with Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank to analyze customer feedback. The company has since expanded to include voice interactions, forming partnerships with telecom providers like Orange.
Early results have shown success. For example, a Tunisian telecom provider saw a subscription product conversion rate rise from 3% to 30% after integrating ToumAI’s AI-powered voice solutions. A Moroccan telecom also reduced its average customer service wait time from four minutes to just one and a half minutes, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction.
Despite the competitive space, Rahmani believes ToumAI has a unique advantage. Its focus on emerging markets, particularly in Africa, provides a first-mover edge, with large datasets from African telecom companies helping improve its model. Rahmani also emphasizes the strong, Africa-based team behind the startup, enabling the company to keep costs lower than its European or American competitors while accessing highly skilled talent.
Data privacy is another advantage for ToumAI, especially as many African countries face concerns about customer data being processed abroad. ToumAI addresses this by offering an on-premise privacy vault that anonymizes voice data before it is sent to the cloud, ensuring compliance with local regulations while maintaining processing efficiency.
Unlike competitors that charge per minute, ToumAI uses a yearly maintenance fee with tiered pricing based on customer interactions, offering flexibility and reducing costs for businesses.
ToumAI began its fundraising journey in late 2023, securing pre-seed commitments before launching a €1 million pre-seed round in 2024, led by Launch Africa Ventures. Other investors include Madica Ventures, Orange Ventures, and Digital Africa. Rahmani sees these investments as crucial for scaling the company, enabling it to convert proof-of-concept projects into long-term contracts.
Looking ahead, ToumAI plans to expand its offerings to more African languages, particularly those spoken in West Africa, and pursue strategic partnerships with major players in the call center software space and large tech companies like NVIDIA and Intel.
Despite challenges, including a brief setback with an investor withdrawal, Rahmani remains optimistic, reflecting on the key lesson: “As long as you haven’t signed anything and cash isn’t in the bank, you just need to still be in the fundraising mode.”
For Rahmani, the greatest success for ToumAI would be proving that highly technical AI solutions can be built in Africa, establishing the continent as a hub for innovation in the tech space.
