Veli receives €160,000 funding through Hesse’s Distr@l program

The AI startup Veli, headquartered in Kassel and alumni of the RISING Accelerator Program 2023/2024 by AI Startup Rising | hessian.AI, has secured €160,000 in funding from the State of Hesse under the Distr@l program, which supports digital innovation and technology transfer projects.

Veli develops digital solutions that help people in later life live independently and safely at home. Its core technology, the Veli-AI system, analyzes signals from everyday household devices – such as kettles, toasters, or Wi-Fi usage – to identify subtle changes in daily routines. In this way, potential health risks or emergencies can be detected early, while the system works discreetly in the background without disrupting everyday life.

The funding was officially presented by Hesse’s Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus at the Gründerplattform Deck4 in Kassel. In her remarks, she praised Veli as an outstanding example of how Distr@l bridges research and real-world applications.

Veli’s story began in 2018, inspired by a personal experience of co-founder Tim Weiß, whose grandmother suffered a fall at home that went unnoticed despite an emergency button. Motivated to find a better solution, Tim and his co-founders, Jan-Peter Seevers and Maximilian Schnettler, built on their expertise in energy monitoring to create a passive safety system based on electricity and water consumption data. In collaboration with the University of Kassel’s department for environmentally friendly products and processes, the idea evolved into today’s startup.

As an alumnus of the RISING Accelerator Program, Veli benefited from tailored support in its innovation journey. This new funding milestone will accelerate the further development of its AI system and support its mission to enable longer, safer, and more autonomous living for elderly people.

Learn more about Veli on their website and about the RISING Accelerator Program by hessian.AI.