AI
Omilia closes $67M Series B to expand voice AI beyond generative models
The Athens-based customer support automation firm, which has raised $67M from Expedition Growth Capital, argues that deploying large language models to every support task is wasteful.
TechCrunch — AI
Omilia, a Greek customer support automation company that has operated since 2002, has secured $67 million in Series B funding led by Expedition Growth Capital. The round underscores a contrarian bet: that the most efficient approach to AI-driven support isn't to apply advanced language models everywhere, but to match the right tools to each job.
The case against universal LLMs#
The customer support space has attracted a wave of startups — Sierra, Decagon, and Parloa among them — racing to deploy AI across voice calls, chat, and messaging. Yet Omilia's leadership views wholesale language model deployment as inefficient. CEO Dimitris Vassos noted that a large share of support tickets concern routine data retrieval: account balances, status checks, and similar queries that don't require heavyweight AI.
Vassos framed the philosophy in tactical terms: "You may have a bazooka, but if your enemy is near you, you need a knife. This is the reality of the contact center, where you need multiple tools."
Scaling with healthy unit economics#
Since raising $20 million from Grafton Capital in 2020, Omilia has grown its annual recurring revenue tenfold to $60 million. The company credits disciplined unit economics — both for itself and its customers — with allowing it to reach this scale without the funding intensity of competitors. Vassos signaled confidence that financial sustainability, not flashy marketing, will determine winners: "In the next few years, we will see the companies that can offer real ROI prevail."
Expanding into voice ordering#
Omilia already counts Capital One, Discover, RBC, DWP, and PSEG among its clients. The firm is now emphasizing quick-service restaurants adopting voice-based ordering, with Taco Bell as a flagship deployment across over 1,000 locations. Two additional major U.S. restaurant chains are in advanced talks.
One widely reported incident involved a Taco Bell ordering error that allegedly allowed a customer to place an unusually large order last year. Vassos disputed the account, citing Omilia's system logs, and the company is seeking clarification from Taco Bell directly.
