AI Bites: CRM reinvention, tech workers sentiment and student writing transformed
👋 Hi and welcome to Brighteye Bulletin - your fortnightly take on all things in Edtech, HRTech and Talent Empowerment, both from a Startup & VC perspectives.
Articles and Resources of the week
From systems of records to AI-enabled CRMs and workflow automations
AI is redefining enterprise software architecture. This article analyzes the evolving dynamics between systems of record (SoRs), systems of action (SoAs), and emerging agentic systems. Historically, SoRs (e.g. ERP, CRM, HCM) served as static databases anchoring enterprise data. SoAs, in contrast, emerged with workflow automation.
Key takeaways:
Stickiness of SoRs is shifting: Previously rooted in data gravity, SoR stickiness is now threatened by LLMs easing data migration and reducing lock-in.
SoAs as the new center of value: With rich and real-time data (e.g. call transcripts, transactions), SoAs are powering agentic use cases, ideal for AI agents rather than human dashboards.
Examples of successful SoA-to-SoR evolution:
Hubspot: Started with marketing automation (SoA), added CRM (SoR) at IPO.
Rippling: Onboarded employees (SoA), now full HCM and moving into finance.
ServiceNow: Began with IT workflows, expanded into configuration management and CRM.
Direct SoR disruption is complex but possible: Works best in tech-first verticals where cost of migration is lower. GTM strategy often involves integrating and surrounding incumbents before replacing them.
Agentic systems as SoR 3.0: The market is transitioning from tools for humans to agents performing tasks.
Startups that build AI-native systems with clear workflow utility, behavior-rich data and high engagement can not only capture budget from SoRs, but reshape enterprise stacks entirely. However, the GTM needs to be studied carefully.
Some early players are already executing on this vision, building agentic systems that are set to deliver real outputs, not just better tools. For the curious, check out companies like Spiich, and Day. These could be the kinds of bets that will define the next era of enterprise software.
If you’re building in that space, please reach out to us.
Tech work sentiment in the AI era: burnout, optimism and power of being a founder
In this large-scale survey of over 8,200 tech professionals, Lenny Rachitsky and Noam Segal study the emotional state of today’s tech workforce, and the results are nuanced. Despite high-profile layoffs, economic uncertainty, and the rise of AI, more than half of tech workers remain optimistic about their roles and careers. But behind that lies a story of burnout, broken management, and a widening mid-career crisis.
Key insights:
Burnout is endemic: Nearly 45% of tech workers report burnout. It’s most severe in midsize companies and among full-time employees, especially in hardware roles. Burnout strongly correlates with disengagement and quitting intentions.
Founders are thriving: Across every metric; optimism, job enjoyment, engagement, commitment, startup founders outperform all other roles. Ownership, purpose, and autonomy are the strongest drivers of well-being.
Managers are a weak link: Only 26% of respondents find their manager effective. Leadership quality correlates directly with burnout, retention, and enjoyment, pointing to leadership as the biggest lever for organizational performance.
Workplace setup myths debunked: Hybrid workers are happiest overall. Remote and in-office workers report similar job satisfaction, but in-office employees are slightly more optimistic about long-term career prospects.
Small companies win on sentiment: Employees at small firms report higher belonging, optimism, and satisfaction and less burnout, across nearly every metric.
Mid-career is the danger zone: Professionals with 7–14 years of experience experience a sharp dip in optimism, clarity, and job enjoyment. They’re also more likely to consider quitting.
Career clarity is lacking: A large portion of tech workers don’t know what skills to build next. This lack of direction fuels disengagement and exit risk.
Gender gap: Women report higher burnout and slightly lower optimism, yet paradoxically exhibit higher engagement and belonging, raising concerns around long-term inclusion.
Talent is the core input for startups. This report is a wake-up call for startup founders to invest early in manager quality, train managers and support mid-career clarity.
If you’re a founder, now might be the time to train your managers. We’re particularly excited by companies offering easily scalable and evidence-based leadership training (like Blify), because in 2025 manager quality is becoming a growth lever, not a nice-to-have.
AI in the classroom: is it useful to assess writing with AI?
No More Marking’s latest article (and study) shows promising results for AI-assisted assessment in primary education. Involving 3,851 Year 6 students across 73 schools, the study found that AI aligned with human judgement 82% of the time, comparable to human-to-human consistency. Disagreements were mostly minor, with only 0.5% of total judgments showing serious divergence. Beyond reliability, students who received a mix of human and AI feedback improved their writing scores by 12 points, equating to an 11-month leap in writing age over just two months of feedback. However, only 62% improved, with 38% regressing, and it’s uncertain whether gains will persist in future assessments. Still, this suggests real potential for data-enriched writing evaluation and student tracking.
Investment news
US/Sweden based tax and accounting automation platform Filed has raised $17.2 million in seed. The round was led by Day One Ventures and Northzone Ventures, with participation from Greens Ventures, J Ventures and Neo.
German JUPUS has raised a €6.5 million seed round to build the first AI-based secretary for lawyers. The round was led by Acton Capital and saw the participation of High-Tech Gründerfonds.
PyxiScience, a French edtech platform enabling personalised math learning, has raised €2 million from Newfund, Inco Ventures and BPI France.
Irish educational platform The Corporate Governance Institute has raised €3 million in a round led by Business Venture Partners and joined by Enterprise Ireland.
German Koppla, a construction management platform, has raised a €6 million Series A round. The round was led by Newion Investments and saw the participation of Brandenburg Kapital, Earlybird Venture Capital, Coparion, HPI Ventures, Robin Radar Systems and some BAs.
Dutch AI automation platform Lleverage has raised €3 million in a seed round from Peak Capital.
Jobs
Uphill is hiring a Marketing Lead and a Technical Support Engineer (Lisbon).
Ironhack is looking for an Accounting and Tax Specialist (Madrid).
La Solive is hiring a Sales Manager B2B (London).
Ucademy is looking for a Sales Development Representative (Madrid).
Thymia is hiring a Chief of Staff (London/Remote).
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share with friends and colleagues interested in European Edtech, HRTech and Workforce Empowerment. We also explore the AI space - stay tuned for more updates!
Onward & upward!