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Dublin-Based Audrey AI Secures $1.8 Million to Automate the Global Financial Auditing Industry

Audrey AI has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding to scale its agentic platform designed to eliminate manual spreadsheet workflows for financial auditors.

Audrey AI has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding to scale its agentic platform designed to eliminate manual spreadsheet workflows for financial auditors.

NewDecoded

Published Apr 21, 2026

Apr 21, 2026

3 min read

Image by Audrey AI

Scaling Audit Intelligence

Dublin-based startup Audrey AI has closed a $1.8 million pre-seed funding round to transform the financial auditing sector. The investment was co-led by Sure Valley Ventures and Delta Partners, with participation from Enterprise Ireland and prominent angel investors from the Big 4 and fintech sectors. This capital injection will support the company's mission to replace tedious manual labor with purpose-built artificial intelligence.

Why AI is Essential

The global auditing market is valued at over $100 billion, yet it remains heavily reliant on manual data entry and spreadsheet management. This inefficiency often leads to talent burnout and high operational costs for firms. Audrey AI addresses these pressures by automating the most time-consuming tasks, such as evidence gathering and transaction testing.

A Platform Built for Auditors

Founders Ryan Loughran and David Burke launched the company in 2025 after meeting at the Dogpatch Labs Founders programme. Their platform utilizes an agentic system that understands complex tabular data and specific auditing methodologies. This allows the AI to learn how individual firms operate, providing more value the more it is used.

Strategic Growth and Expansion

The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its team of engineers and audit specialists. While currently focused on firms in Ireland and the United Kingdom, Audrey AI intends to scale its operations internationally. Early pilots with top-20 firms have already shown time savings exceeding 85% on core auditing procedures. "Auditors still primarily work in Excel while other sectors have advanced tools," stated CEO Ryan Loughran. The startup aims to raise the bar on quality rather than just speed, ensuring that judgment and oversight remain at the forefront of the profession.

Decoded Take

Decoded Take

Decoded Take

The rise of specialized agentic AI marks a shift away from general-purpose models that struggle with the messy data typical of high-stakes professions. While legal tech has Harvey and software engineering has GitHub Copilot, the auditing world has lacked a dedicated intelligent layer until now. This funding highlights a growing trend of vertical AI, where startups build deep domain expertise to solve specific bottlenecks in regulated industries. For the audit profession, this technology is not just about speed but about ensuring survival amid chronic global talent shortages.

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