Plato Secures $6.5 Million Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize ERP for Wholesale Distributors with AI Automation

Funding led by Cherry Ventures will support Plato’s mission to transform sales and operational efficiency in the wholesale distribution sector.
Berlin-based startup Plato, an AI-driven ERP automation platform for wholesale distributors, has raised $6.5 million in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from the German government and a group of C-level angels from top tech companies, including Microsoft, SAP, NVIDIA, Celonis, Personio, Sennder, and Forto.
Plato was co-founded by Benedikt Nolte, Matthias Heinrich, and Oliver Birch to address challenges facing Nolte’s family-owned wholesale business, which struggled to stay competitive amid high operational costs, inefficient sales processes, and outdated ERP systems. By leveraging AI to streamline these challenges, Plato aims to future-proof the wholesale distribution industry, which has been hit hard by economic pressures, labor shortages, and the urgent need for digital transformation.
“Plato is the all-in-one platform where distribution sellers can thrive,” said CEO Benedikt Nolte. “Our solution enables distributors to gain new insights, automate processes, and unlock unprecedented levels of profitability.”
AI-Powered ERP for Enhanced Sales Intelligence and Efficiency
Plato’s AI-driven platform integrates seamlessly with existing ERP systems, offering robust features to optimize distribution sales processes:
- Sales Intelligence: AI-powered recommendations for cross-selling, upselling, and customer retention, enabling distributors to capture more revenue.
- Workflow Automation: Streamlines routine tasks like quote and order creation, reducing administrative time and increasing time spent on customer engagement by 65%.
With the ability to analyze vast volumes of customer data, Plato’s platform can identify valuable sales opportunities and enable sales teams to process up to five times more information, reducing manual tasks and enhancing customer engagement.
According to Jasper Masemann, Partner at Cherry Ventures, “Plato’s approach aligns perfectly with our AI thesis of enhancing the modern workforce. Plato’s founders have the industry expertise and technical prowess to address the challenges of the wholesale sector, and we believe their platform has the potential to reshape how distributors operate.”
Market Growth and Vision
In the past year, Plato has tripled its client base, including some of Germany’s largest distributors, who report significant improvements in efficiency and sales. The new capital will enable Plato to expand its team and scale its platform across a broader customer base, supporting distributors with thousands of sales representatives.
As distributors adopt Plato’s platform, they are better equipped to streamline operations, scale with existing staff, and onboard new employees more quickly, transforming their businesses to meet the demands of a modernized wholesale industry.