Berlin-based Integral, an AI-powered company redefining accounting, taxation & payroll services for SMEs, has secured €6.3 million in funding

• Funding round led by General Catalyst and Cherry Ventures with participation from Puzzle Ventures and entrepreneurs across Europe  
• Founded by seasoned entrepreneurs Lukas Zörner and Anil Can Baykal
• Integral’s AI-driven platform reshapes tax, accounting & payroll for SMEs 
• German SMEs face some of Europe’s highest tax compliance costs, exacerbated by staff shortages and increasing tax-compliance requirements

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Berlin, Germany - 12.02.2025 - Integral, a Berlin-based startup, today announced its €6.3m funding round led by General Catalyst, Cherry Ventures  with participation from Puzzle Ventures and entrepreneurs across Europe. With its first product launch, Integral is targeting German SMEs from the professional services sector.

Germany's €45 billion accounting & taxation market is clearly failing its SMEs. German SMEs face some of Europe’s highest tax compliance costs, averaging ~1.9% of their turnover.¹ A critical shortage of skilled professionals — 71% of advisory firms reporting staffing issues ²— 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The industry relies on outdated technology, manual workflows and the lack of a platform that keeps the needs for both SMEs and the advisor in mind.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. 

“Our vision is clear: to redefine how SMEs manage accounting, taxation, and payroll. We believe businesses should focus on what matters most - growing their business. Traditional self-service software solutions require substantial time & 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,” said Lukas Zörner, Founder of Integral.

The AI-powered platform paired with human expertise will revolutionize 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.

"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.

The company was founded by Lukas Zörner and Anil Baykal, two seasoned industry experts who previously co-founded companies in the financial services space. Integral will use the funds to continue building a strong product in close collaboration with its customers and assembling an experienced, dedicated team in Berlin.

"At Cherry, we back founders with the ambition to fundamentally reshape industries,” said Filip Dames, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures. “The Integral team’s bold vision to revolutionise tax and accountancy services for SMEs across Europe tackles a deeply entrenched pain point. Lukas, Anil, and their team are building something transformative, and we’re thrilled to be their partners on this journey."