Cortea AI

Cortea AI, a Berlin-based company founded in 2024, is developing an artificial intelligence-powered platform to automate regulatory audits. The firm targets its services at two primary client groups: audit and consultancy firms looking to increase capacity, and regulated companies, such as financial institutions, seeking to prepare for audits and identify internal weaknesses. The business model is centered on providing a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that streamlines the entire audit lifecycle, from planning and document collection to fieldwork and report generation. By automating manual and repetitive tasks, Cortea aims to reduce audit effort by as much as 50%, enabling auditors to focus on higher-value strategic work.

The company was co-founded by Valentin Neumann and Philipp Hövelmann, who met during their studies. Their motivation stemmed from personal experiences with the cumbersome nature of audits in their previous roles; Neumann was the former CTO at hearing aid provider Audibene, and Hövelmann was on the development team at crypto startup Finoa. This firsthand knowledge of the pain points in regulatory compliance directly informs the company's product. In March 2025, Cortea secured a significant milestone with a €3.1 million seed funding round led by Cherry Ventures, with participation from business angels associated with BCG and Google DeepMind, as well as an Atomico scout fund. This capital is intended to accelerate product development and team expansion.

Cortea's core product is an AI-powered audit suite designed to be framework-aware, meaning it is specifically optimized to understand various EU regulations and IT audit frameworks like DORA, ISO 27001, C5, and KRITIS. A key feature is its "regulatory-aware AI," which functions as a specialized translator for complex compliance language, making it more accessible. The platform automates data requests, document analysis, and the generation of audit documentation. To ensure reliability and accuracy, Cortea employs an "Auditor in the loop™" system, where the AI handles automatable tasks, but certified auditors verify and approve the results in more nuanced cases. The company emphasizes a security-first approach, with its solutions made and hosted in Germany to comply with stringent EU laws.

Keywords: audit automation, regulatory compliance, AI-powered audit, FinTech, RegTech, IT audit, compliance management, risk management, DORA, ISO 27001, C5, KRITIS, AI software, workflow automation, compliance automation, financial software, AI for auditors, automated reporting, document analysis, Valentin Neumann, Philipp Hövelmann, Cherry Ventures