Grace Ashiru
Nigerian-founded artificial intelligence startup Minicor has raised $3.8 million in seed funding to help businesses integrate AI technology with older desktop applications that lack modern connectivity features.
The investment round was led by IA Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Paul Graham, Pioneer Fund, Robinhood Ventures, Garage Capital, Rebel Fund, and several other institutional and individual investors.
Founded by Nigerian-born software engineer Saheed Akinbile and Faizaan Chishtie, Minicor develops AI-powered automation tools that enable businesses to connect existing software systems with modern artificial intelligence applications.
The startup is part of Y Combinator’s P26 batch, positioning it among emerging technology companies developing solutions for enterprise automation.
Minicor focuses on a common challenge facing businesses that depend on legacy desktop software: the absence of application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow different digital systems to communicate.
Without these interfaces, organisations often rely on manual processes or expensive custom automation tools to transfer information between applications.
Minicor addresses this challenge by deploying AI agents capable of learning how individual desktop applications operate and performing tasks through automated workflows.
The technology effectively transforms older software into systems that can receive instructions from modern AI applications.
Its platform can execute workflows through Windows virtual machines, supporting deployment across on-premises infrastructure, cloud environments, and Citrix systems.
The company has incorporated several operational capabilities, including automatic recovery from workflow failures, video replay functionality, and scalable automation infrastructure.
These features are designed to help organisations maintain reliable operations while reducing the engineering resources required to connect older applications with newer technologies.
Minicor’s approach differs from conventional robotic process automation, which can require substantial manual configuration and ongoing maintenance.
By enabling AI agents to understand and manage software interactions, the startup aims to simplify automation for businesses operating complex technology environments.
The funding comes as enterprises increasingly explore ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into existing business operations without completely replacing their software infrastructure.
For Minicor, the investment provides an opportunity to advance its technology and strengthen its position in the enterprise automation market.
The company’s development also highlights the contribution of Nigerian-founded technology ventures to emerging global AI solutions, particularly in enterprise software integration and productivity improvement.
