Vanna AI was selected as the winner by a panel of prominent investors, tech leaders, and founders at the Paddle AI Launchpad Demo Day on Tuesday 9th July, securing the $20k cash prize.

Vanna AI, founded in 2023 by Zain Hoda, is an open source Python package that uses AI to allow businesses to chat with their SQL database as easily as chatting to their colleague. With Vanna AI, users ask their business questions and it responds with tables, charts and in-depth follow ups for a comprehensive analysis. Vanna can be connected to any SQL database, is compatible with any LLM and any vector database, and can easily be integrated into developer applications. The Vanna AI open source package is already being used by top brands including Oracle, Microsoft, Volvo and Adidas, and has gained over 9000 Github stars.

In April 2024, Vanna AI joined Paddle’s AI Launchpad - a program to provide over 100 innovative, ready-to-scale, AI-focused companies the support they need to accelerate their growth and effectively monetize their AI products. Participants of Paddle’s AI Launchpad receive tailored guidance and practical insights from industry experts, and exclusive access to the “Launchpaddlers'' community - a hub for Launchpad alumni to network and share resources. Additional benefits provided by Paddle’s partners include up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits, $25k in credit from AWS Activate, special credits to Notion and Mercury, and access to dedicated AI resources.

During Paddle AI Launchpad Demo Day - the final stage of this year’s program - 10 Launchpad finalists presented their AI business and pitched for why they should win the $20k cash prize to a panel of judges including Christian Owens, Founder of Paddle; Maria Palma, General Partner at Kindred Capital; Federico Wengi, Partner at SquareOne Venture Capital; and Alex Theuma, Founder of SaaStock and General Partner at BackFuture. The other nine finalists were:
• Supaboard - AI that transforms data into actionable dashboards and tools
• Podscan - instant alerts for a brand’s every podcast mention
• TailoredPod - personalized newsletters and podcasts based on users’ interests
• UXWizz - self-hosted website analytics platform
• Render AI - AI image tool creating 3D renders from sketch drawings
• Podscribe - modern measurement for modern podcast advertising
• Trevor AI - daily AI assistant for planning tasks in calendars
• Engyne - all-in-one platform for B2B content marketing
• SEOwind - AI writing tool to drive traffic

On winning this year’s Paddle AI Launchpad, Zain Hoda, Founder of Vanna AI, said: “The Paddle AI Launchpad was instrumental in shaping Vanna's growth strategy. The Masterclasses in the program provided invaluable insights into critical areas like pricing strategy, marketing approaches, and defining our value metrics. Meanwhile, the community created a collaborative environment where we could exchange ideas and receive direct feedback on everything from pitch decks to pricing pages and marketing copy. This comprehensive support has been crucial in refining our business model and go-to-market strategy. I’m very grateful to Paddle for having us as part of this year’s AI Launchpad and Demo Day, and extremely proud to have been awarded this year's prize.”

Commenting on the program, Karthik Puvvada, Paddle’s Founder Relations Manager, said: “There is an incredible amount of innovation happening within AI, but turning your great idea into a sustainable and scalable business isn’t easy. Paddle AI Launchpad was created to help provide the new generation of software founders with the knowledge and insights to turn their AI inventions into thriving businesses. We were so impressed by the innovation and creativity of this year’s founders - especially our winner, Vanna AI. It has also been great to see the engagement within the “Launchpaddlers” community, and I’m sure this year’s participants will continue to network and share resources moving forward. We have been delighted with the success of the program to date and look forward to hosting more Launchpads and continuing to help founders build sustainable AI businesses.”

Paddle launched its first AI Launchpad in 2023, with Virtual Staging AI, a platform that allows real estate professionals to sell properties faster by using AI to digitally furnish images of empty rooms, selected as the winner of the inaugural program. Following the program, the company saw revenue increase 10x, from a monthly revenue of $20,000 to $200,000.

Applications for the next AI Launchpad will open this Autumn.