Cork teenagers behind Kríos are building an AI sales training platform, using realistic roleplay and coaching tools to help sales teams perform better.
A trio of young entrepreneurs from Cork are seeking to modernise sales training with the launch of Kríos, an AI-powered platform that enables sales representatives to practise customer conversations and receive instant coaching feedback.
Founded by Ahroon Santhosh, Michael Sweeney and Abraham Kurian, Kríos has already entered pilot programmes with its first customers and is targeting businesses that rely on outbound sales teams, including those in the solar, telecommunications and home security sectors. The company plans to expand into the UK and US markets, where high-volume sales models remain common.
“We were walking through one of the estates we used to sell in, reminiscing, and that’s where the idea for Kríos started: how do we actually train people to do this well?”
The start-up was born out of the founders’ own experiences selling products door to door while taking part in Ireland’s Student Enterprise Mini Company programme.
Santhosh, the company’s CEO, and Kurian are both 17, while Sweeney, the CTO, is 18. Despite achieving notable success with their previous venture, the founders recognised shortcomings in their own sales training.
“Even with those wins, we weren’t happy with how bad we actually were at door-to-door sales, our conversion rate was low,” says Santhosh.
Their first business, Tie Towel, generated €4,000 in sales and won Best Innovation, Best Sales, first place regionally and third place nationally. The achievement also earned the team an all-expenses-paid trip to Colorado State University through the Global Business Academy programme.
From doorstep selling to AI coaching
The idea for Kríos emerged during a walk through one of the housing estates where the founders had previously sold products.
“We were walking through one of the estates we used to sell in, reminiscing, and that’s where the idea for Kríos started: how do we actually train people to do this well?” says Santhosh.
The founders believe many sales organisations continue to depend on limited roleplay sessions and coaching resources to prepare new recruits. As a result, managers often struggle to provide personalised support at scale, while new hires face longer learning curves.
Kríos addresses this challenge by allowing sales representatives to engage in conversations with customised AI personas designed to replicate real customer interactions. The platform’s AI coaching assistant, Nyx, provides a detailed debrief after each session, helping users identify areas for improvement.
“Kríos gives reps unlimited AI roleplay practice and gives managers call analysis and dashboards so they can see who needs help without sitting in on every call,” says Santhosh.
Managers can create bespoke customer personas and adjust objections to mirror real-world scenarios. The system also integrates with CRM platforms such as HubSpot and Salesforce, allowing training exercises to reflect company-specific sales environments. Nyx can additionally analyse live sales calls and provide coaching feedback based on real customer interactions.
Building within Cork’s start-up ecosystem
Kríos founders Ahroon Santhosh, Michael Sweeney and Abraham Kurian
The founders credit Cork’s entrepreneurial community with helping accelerate the company’s development.
“We’re glad to be building in Ireland, the ecosystem is very supportive,” says Santhosh.
Kríos is supported by Republic of Work, the Cork-based entrepreneurship hub where Sweeney previously worked. The company is also a member of the Tech Industry Alliance and has received support from its Local Enterprise Office.
“We’ve had support from our LEO, and generally found businesspeople across Cork and Ireland very willing to help,” Santhosh adds.
The start-up has also benefited from the ElevenLabs Start-up Grant, which provided US$4,500 in credits to help develop and refine its voice models and roleplay capabilities.
Although Kríos has attracted interest from investors, the founding team is concentrating on customer development and product refinement rather than pursuing an investment round.
“We’ve had interest from venture capitalists, but we’re happy with our natural progression right now and aren’t actively raising,” says Santhosh.
For now, the company is focused on proving its technology with customers and building towards expansion beyond Ireland.
Lessons from young founders
As the team prepares for their Leaving Certificate while simultaneously building a technology business, the founders say humility and a willingness to learn have been central to their progress.
“Stay open to learning from anyone who’s successful, regardless of sector, age, or background. Everyone has pieces of information worth taking on board. Founders often think they know what they’re doing, but the truth is we’re small fish in a big pond, and we should be learning from people with more experience. Being open minded is key we learned,” says Santhosh.
He also emphasises the importance of networking within Ireland’s start-up community.
“Get in contact with other start-up founders. It gives you the chance to bounce ideas, talk through decisions, and realize a lot more is possible than you might think,” he says.
“Working alone is fine, but real growth happens once you build a network.”
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