AI startup Flowing Bee raises $1.6m to automate marketing

The news: Melbourne startup Flowing Bee has raised $1.6 million to develop its AI-powered behavioural insights platform for marketing automation. The round was led by Archangel Ventures with participation from The University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund, Antler, LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund, M8 Ventures and strategic angel investors.

The context: Flowing Bee combines behavioural science and artificial intelligence to help brands develop more effective marketing campaigns. The platform was founded by Michael Sankey and Sara Khorasani who bring together expertise in behavioural science and Formula 1 engineering simulation. The investment comes as enterprises seek deeper customer insights and more sophisticated marketing automation tools.

The $1.6 million funding will be used to advance Flowing Bee's AI-driven behavioural insights engine, enhance automated campaign capabilities, and accelerate customer growth in Australia and the United States. The company plans to expand its engineering, data science and go-to-market teams.

What they said: "Brands waste billions on ineffective campaigns because they fail to activate the true psychological drivers of consumer behaviour," Flowing Bee co-founder and chief executive Michael Sankey said. "Our platform combines proven behavioural science and AI to bridge this gap—delivering deep audience insights and automated campaign creation at scale."