Focus Ai is a BYU Sandbox-affiliated AI startup sales technology startup addressing key challenges in the sales industry with real-time AI-driven solutions that assist sales reps during customer interactions.
Provo, Utah, December 9, 2024
Focus AI is a sales technology startup founded by Matthew Dangerfield and Jackson Vanderwerken. Inspired by Vanderwerken's firsthand sales experiences, the company aims to address key challenges in the sales industry with real-time AI-driven solutions that assist sales reps during customer interactions.
Originating from BYU's Sandbox program, a program that is now four years old that supports student entrepreneurs, Focus AI offers a software platform that guides sales reps through dynamic scripts, enabling them to confidently address objections and improve outcomes. This approach addresses high turnover rates and financial losses in the sales industry while enhancing the effectiveness of sales teams.
Focus AI's unique value lies in its accessibility to businesses of all sizes, superior user experience. The company is building its reputation by onboarding smaller businesses before targeting larger enterprises. Despite challenges in gaining trust from major companies, the team is optimistic about its growth and results.
Matthew Dangerfield, CTO of Focus AI, is currently studying applied mathematics at Brigham Young University. His passion for building innovative solutions has driven his involvement in entrepreneurship. Jackson Vanderwerken, CEO of Focus AI, recently graduated from BYU's Entrepreneurship program and was a part of the Sandbox 02 cohort. His experiences from the program inspired the creation of Focus AI.
The Sandbox program started at BYU in 2020 and was created to guide students interested in entrepreneurship with their interest in starting a business. By connecting them with mentors and like-minded peers, the program offers hands-on experience in building tech-related businesses. Sandbox provides experiences that help students feel confident in their future endeavors. The Sandbox program has now expanded to surrounding schools around Utah including Utah State University, Utah Valley University, and Utah Tech. Brigham Young University continues to run its own BYU specific Sandbox program.
Focus AI originated from Vanderwerken’s first hand experiences in sales.“I had the idea while I was getting my sales certification, I did it online and was learning how to basically do remote sales,” said Vanderwerken. “In remote sales, they teach you to follow a script.”
“I was selling my own window cleaning business door to door, and everyone knows that with the sales pitch, you have to be able to respond to objections.” Vanderwerken stated. “Saying the right thing is the part that I had a hard time doing,” he added.
“But this script with sales is dynamic, and you basically are having to come up with strategic ways to say things, to convince people to go to your side.” This realization prompted the Focus AI founders to create software that aids sales reps in real-time.
Focus AI helps sales reps pitch with the guidance of AI. Online sales pitches commonly use a script that can fail when customers have objections. With the use of Focus AI the rep and quickly respond to objections to seal the deal. Focus allows sales reps to stick to the script without memorization.
Dangerfield explained, "Every sales manager you've talked to can relate to the pain of, 'If you just follow the script, it'll work for you too.'"
Focus AI addresses large problems arising within the sales industry. Using Focus AI, companies can significantly reduce financial losses from failed sales pitches while addressing the high turnover rates plaguing the sales industry. By empowering sales reps with real-time guidance and support, Focus AI enhances their confidence and effectiveness, creating a more stable and successful workforce.
“Not only is it solving a problem that is in huge demand for a solution, the sales rep churn right now is three times more than the worst occupation churn. It's up there in terms of the amount of people leaving. Companies then have to hire a new person and train them. It would definitely solve a painpoint that is in deep need of a solution. But on top of that there's a return on the investment,” stated Vanderwerken.
What sets Focus AI apart is that it guides sales reps in real-time as if a professional is alongside them during each sales call. The system provides notes so that the rep can use all their focus on tonality and their customer. Focus AI, unlike competitors, is targeting smaller companies wishing to increase sales.
“Our competitors are more focused on enterprises that have tons of people doing the same calls all the time. That's the biggest differentiator; who we're going after. We're targeting all companies, including medium and small ones,” Dangerfield clarified.
Focus AI says it not only has superior UX/UI and a larger target market, but its founders claims it is 98% accurate, which they say will only improve as more companies begin using it.
Target Market
Focus AI has a larger target market than their competitors. Focus is designed for any organization with sales teams aiming to maximize their sales outcomes. “Our deal customer is any company that's hiring SDRs doing phone sales, companies that have the structure of doing setters for setting appointments and then closers to close those appointments, but targeting those setters,” said Vanderwerken. “The first point of contact of a human being, essentially, is who we're going after in any size company.”
Overcoming Challenges
Despite having gained much interest one of the hurdles the company faces is gaining the trust of large companies. Although Focus is seeing positive outcomes, the founders say many large companies are hesitant to try something new. “Everyone wants us to already have customers before they'll really seriously consider us. And so I think our solution to that is just, starting with the little guys, and kind of building traction through there so we can have more legitimacy when we go up the chain,” shared Dangerfield. Although the beginning of every start-up has its obstacles the founders are optimistic due to their results and accuracy provided by their program.
“We're hoping to get a lot of smaller businesses on boarded and then work with them to make the product rock solid, so that come summer, once you know I'm graduated and I'm able to work full time, we can really just push hard on getting some bigger clients on boarded and showing all the cool stories that we have from the customers that we've been kind of building this with,” stated Dangerfield.
Focus AI has received grants through the BYU Rollins center and is currently seeking additional funding. The team’s immediate goals include working towards onboarding more customers over the next year and working towards landing deals with large companies.
Vanderwerken stated, “we're trying to land as many customers as we can, after which we're going to apply to Y Combinator for the summer batch, crossing our fingers that we get in, and we're going to try to raise investments so that we can get in front of all of these people and be the brand name when it comes to thinking of a product like this.”
In the future Focus wishes to become a place where reps not only learn how to use a dynamic script, but also be a source of sales knowledge to better prepare sales reps. Focus is reaching towards also becoming a way to help train reps to better succeed during sales calls.
“Right now our product is focused on helping new sales reps by helping them follow the script. But in the end, we see it as something that will help just be a source for the sales knowledge of the whole company. Maybe they don't need a script helping them all along, but we'll just be listening and the product will be learning from their calls and then helping to train the new generation of setters based on what the pros are already doing,” said Dangerfield.
Focus AI has set out to revolutionize sales processes with an innovative, AI-driven approach. By addressing key challenges in the industry, the company is not only helping sales reps succeed but also redefining how businesses approach customer interactions. As Focus AI grows, it aims to become a leading name in sales enablement technology, empowering organizations to reach their full potential.
For more information reach out to Focus AI by clicking here.
