Kintsugi

About Kintsugi

Kintsugi AI provides a financial software platform focused on automating sales tax compliance for businesses. The company was founded in 2022 by Pujun Bhatnagar, a former machine learning engineer at Meta; Barkin Doganay, a former analyst at Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs; and Jeff Gibson, a former executive at Atlassian. The genesis of the company traces back to a 2018 Supreme Court decision that created significant complexity for remote sellers by mandating they collect and remit sales tax in states where they operate, even without a physical presence. This legal shift highlighted the need for a streamlined, automated approach to manage the fragmented sales tax laws across numerous jurisdictions.

The firm targets the e-commerce and SaaS sectors, serving businesses of all sizes from startups to large enterprises. Its business model is rooted in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering, which automates the entire sales tax lifecycle. Revenue is generated through a single SaaS fee, contrasting with competitors who may charge substantial onboarding fees. The platform offers a freemium model, allowing potential customers to test the service before committing to a paid plan.

Kintsugi's core product is an AI-driven platform that provides an end-to-end solution for sales tax management. It features real-time nexus monitoring to determine where a company owes taxes, AI-powered product categorization, precise tax calculations for over 110,000 jurisdictions, and handling of registrations, filings, and exemption certificates. The platform's AI is built upon a large language model trained specifically on tax regulations, designed to ensure high accuracy. It integrates with common billing and payment systems like Shopify, Stripe, and Quickbooks, allowing for seamless automation. In May 2024, the company announced a $6 million Series A funding round at a $40 million valuation to further develop its platform and expand its automated VAT solutions into Canada and Europe.