4 min read
2025 was spogen.ai’s first full year and the year we moved from promising pilots to industry momentum. We took the idea of turning manuals and data into real-time machine guidance to real-life implementation, successful testing and consistently positive feedback.
In May, spogen.ai secured a pre-seed round led by FOV Ventures with support from industry-leading angel investors. The funding marked the start of an intensive second half of the year spent developing at the office, testing on machines, and gathering direct feedback.
During the first half of the year, we also established and deepened partnerships with manufacturers like Lännen Tractors, NHK Group and MTC Flextek. These relationships opened doors to multipurpose machinery, agricultural implements and manufacturing machines, providing real-world data and feedback on our assistants and how they are used in practice.
In parallel with operator-facing pilots, we worked closely with customers, including AGCO Power, MTC Flextek and other partners, to develop and validate our Tech Assistant. The focus was on improving technical support and service workflows by giving support teams faster, more consistent access to documentation and machine knowledge, reducing support load while improving response quality.
One quick practical outcome of the investment was strengthening the core team. Jussi Kalliomäki joined the company as a Software Engineer, bringing experience in data, R&D, and software development to strengthen our platform. Ukko Järvinen took up the role of Head of Marketing to support our go-to-market efforts. Their arrival ensured that the momentum from funding translated into faster development, clearer messaging, and allowed co-founders to focus on their core roles.
Real-life piloting of our Smart Assistant started with the Finnish environmental technology company Tana, which put our technology to the test with their H260 landfill compactor. Operators accessed daily maintenance lists, adjustment instructions and schematics through a hands-free interface.
Then, in early summer, the Smart Assistant was piloted in the EIT Food Test Farms Programme with the manuals of a Valtra N-series tractor and a Väderstad Spirit seed drill. In this pilot, professional farmers and students tested the assistant by asking questions about the task at hand and received real-time voice and visual instructions. They carried out fieldwork and maintenance without flipping through manuals or making support calls.
One lighter but proud moment for the team came during our summer get-together, when team members unfamiliar with farming equipment used the Smart Assistant to start and drive a tractor by following the AI’s voice and on-screen guidance alone.
spogen.ai didn’t stay in the lab. The team hit the road across Europe and the US. April began at Bauma, where we engaged with construction machinery professionals and validated the need for AI assistance in machine operation and maintenance across the industry. May and June set the tone, starting with Agriventure, where we demonstrated the Test Farms pilot to event partners and farmers and gathered hands-on feedback. A few days later, we joined the Manufacturing Performance Days and the VDI Conference, discussing AI’s practical role in professional machinery. The iVT Expo in Cologne brought more conversations with engineers working in industrial and off-highway vehicle technology.
Our summer’s big farm fair, OKRA, provided a chance to stand beside Valtra on the AGCO Suomi stand and let farmers and training and maintenance professionals challenge the assistant. Farmers liked how the AI could highlight features they rarely use, while the OEM experts appreciated the speed of finding the right information.
The event circuit continued with our Co-founder and CEO Joonas Koivuniemi taking the stage with AI-Finland at two major Finnish business events: Suomi Areena and Alihankintamessut. Right after, at the Future Mobile Work Machine summit, an event built around Tampere’s machinery cluster, we showcased a live demo in the Ponsse area together with Valtra.
Alongside the European events, spogen.ai made its first steps into the North American market. We attended Equip Exposition, visited our first US client in the Los Angeles area, and met with potential partners in Austin, Texas, testing how the same challenges translate across markets.
In Q4, our calendars shifted toward full-scale demonstrations. Our largest event was Agritechnica in Hannover in November, which leads into the next chapter.
Recognition followed the work. At Agritechnica, Valtra unveiled the Talking Tractor concept that we were proud to showcase as a partner at their stand. Built on the Smart Assistant, the proof of concept allowed visitors to experience conversational guidance throughout the trade show. The concept was shortlisted for the DLG Agrifuture Concept Award, drawing international media and industry leaders and resulting in a wide array of ongoing discussions.
The buzz gained in Hannover didn’t fade away once the machinery was packed away. At Slush, Europe’s largest startup festival, held the following week, more people recognized spogen.ai and sought out the team to learn more. Longtime contacts resurfaced to explore collaborations, confirming that our presence translated into broader awareness and opportunity.
Beyond the DLG shortlist, the year brought further recognition. Our Smart Assistant pilot was named one of the top three finalists for the Most Innovative AI Pilot of the Year at the 2025 AI Gala held by AI Finland. To close the year, spogen.ai won the “Productive Idea 2025” competition’s startup category, which put our logo on the world-famous Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.
For us, these honors and the international attention are a clear sign of traction and proof we are not presenting just a concept, but an emerging reality.
As we close 2025, we want to thank our partners, customers, collaborators, and the wider community for the trust, conversations, and shared work throughout the year. We look forward to continuing the journey together and building even better solutions in the years to come.
spogen.ai enters 2026 with proof that our assistants add to the use, maintenance, and development of complex machines. With partners across multiple industry segments, we have tested both the technology and its fit within the daily work of operators and support teams.
In the year ahead, the focus shifts to rollouts, helping more operators and maintenance crews get answers faster, improving the efficiency while keeping support loads low.
Pertti Aimonen : Nov 5, 2024 7:43:50 AM
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