TheStage AI, a Delaware-based deep tech startup specializing in AI inference optimization, has raised $4.5 million in funding from investors including Mehreen Malik, Dominic Williams of DFINITY, Atlantic Labs, DVC, and AAL VC.
Founded by Kirill Solodskih, Azim Kurbanov, Ruslan Aydarkhanov, and Max Petriev, TheStage AI has developed ANNA, an automated system that drastically accelerates and simplifies the process of optimizing neural networks. The platform reduces model optimization to just hours, making AI deployment more efficient and cost-effective across diverse hardware and cloud setups.
CEO Kirill Solodskih said the company aims to “make AI infrastructure radically more accessible.” Early customers include Recraft.ai and Praktika.ai, with Nebius as a collaborator and the Liberman brothers joining as advisors.