Ukrainian AI startup Principle raises $2 mln in pre-seed round

Ukrainian startup Principle, which creates a strategic forecasting platform based on artificial intelligence (AI), has raised $2 million in investment in a pre-seed round led by SMRK VC and SMOK VC with participation from RideHome AI Fund, a16z Scout Fund, Bain Capital Scout Fund and Unpopular Ventures.

According to the release, the company’s platform supports continuous models that are updated as new market information becomes available, including competitor actions, regulatory changes, pricing shifts, and M&A activity.

In addition, Principle creates digital twins of companies, regulators, and market forces, allowing for the analysis of hundreds of strategic scenarios.

The platform is already in pilot mode with several Fortune 500 companies, governments, energy market leaders, and major technology firms.

“Every Fortune 500 company we engage with shows the same pattern. They misinterpret market signals, respond too slowly to structural shifts, and by the time something obvious becomes clear, it’s already too late,” said Principle co-founder and CEO Artur Kiulian in the release.

Principle added that it trains its model on AWS Nova architecture to improve forecasting accuracy.

In 2025, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation to develop national AI capabilities. The company also implemented projects in the Middle East. Working with the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI) and the Dubai Future Foundation, Principle created models to enhance the resilience of the healthcare system.

Principle was founded in 2024 by Artur Kiulian and Yuriy Filipchuk and is headquartered in San Francisco. The founding team has experience at Google, CERN, and has worked on strategic technologies for the White House.