African Founders Raise $9M for AI Software Testing Startup

Expensya Founders Launch AI-Powered Software Testing Startup, Secure $9M Seed Funding

Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani, founders of the expense management startup Expensya (acquired by Medius), are back with a new venture. Their latest project, Thunder Code, is a generative AI-powered platform designed to revolutionize software testing. The startup has already secured $9 million in seed funding.

The founders had initially planned to step away from entrepreneurship after selling Expensya in a deal estimated at over $120 million. However, the potential of generative AI drew them back in.

From Expense Management to AI-Driven QA

Jouini's experience integrating six companies at Medius highlighted the universal challenges of software testing. This inspired the creation of Thunder Code, which uses AI agents to mimic human testers, identify UI/UX issues, and learn from feedback.

Learning from their past experiences, the team prioritized rapid development. They launched their MVP within six weeks and have achieved significant progress in just six months.

Thunder Code is already working with paying customers and running pilot programs across the U.S., Canada, France, and Tunisia. They partner with delivery managers, QA teams, and developers to accelerate testing and deployment. Initially focused on web applications, they plan to expand to mobile, desktop, and API testing by late 2025.

Building a Unicorn, Again

Jouini emphasized the importance of speed and attracting top talent. He believes that early dilution is a worthwhile trade-off for building a successful company. He envisions Thunder Code achieving ten times the value with a smaller team, thanks to the power of AI.

While acknowledging the shift from expense management to software testing, Jouini sees the latter as a larger market with significant potential. He believes Thunder Code's AI-driven approach gives them a competitive edge against established players and emerging competitors.

The $9 million seed round includes investment from previous Expensya backers like Silicon Badia and Jaango Capital, as well as Titan Seed Fund and angel investors like Roxanne Varza and Karim Beguir. Notably, several former Expensya employees also participated in the round.

Thunder Code, headquartered in Paris with an office in Tunis, joins a growing field of AI-powered software testing startups, including UIPath, Jetify, and Nova AI. With their combined expertise and secured funding, Jouini and Othmani are poised to make a significant impact on the industry.