Berlin-based fintech Integral, today announced a €6.3 million funding raise to redefine how accounting, taxation and payroll works for SMEs in Europe, starting with Germany. 

Germany’s €45 billion accounting and taxation market is clearly failing its SMEs. German SMEs face some of Europe’s highest tax compliance costs, averaging ~1.9 per cent of their turnover. A critical shortage of skilled professionals — 71 per cent of advisory firms reporting staffing issues — exacerbates the problem, leading to manual errors and missed deadlines.

The industry relies on outdated technology, manual workflows and the lack of a platform that keeps the needs for both SMEs and the advisor in mind. For SMEs, this translates to high costs, poor service quality, and a lack of real-time insights, ultimately stunting their growth and competitiveness. 

Integral has developed an AI-powered platform that paired with human expertise will transform accounting, taxation, and financial advisory services for businesses across Europe — adding efficiencies and driving smarter financial decisions. Key functionalities include a central collaboration and communication platform with a partner tax advisor connected to it, a direct integration with customers’ financial tools and AI empowering both SMEs and advisors.

Integral was founded in 2024 by Lukas Zörner and Anil Can Baykal. According to Zörner, businesses should focus on what matters most — growing their business. 

“Traditional self-service software solutions require substantial time and effort by SMEs — time they cannot spend on growing their business.

We want to be the trusted partner for SMEs as they leverage the power of AI to reinvent these operations to be faster and smarter. We are building a platform enabling SMEs to outsource these services entirely.”  

General Catalyst and Cherry Ventures led the funding, with participation from Puzzle Ventures and entrepreneurs across Europe. 

“SMEs are the backbone of Europe’s economy and society, yet they remain underserved when it comes to digital tools for accounting and taxation. 

We believe Lukas and Anil are exceptional founders with a compelling vision, and have deep experience building financial products for SMEs. We’re excited to partner with them on their mission to help the European economy thrive,” said Zeynep Yavuz, Partner at General Catalyst.

According to Filip Dames, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures, Integral “tackles a deeply entrenched pain point across Europe. Lukas, Anil, and their team are building something transformative, and we’re thrilled to be their partners on this journey.”

Lead image: Integral. Photo: uncredited.