Timefold, a Belgian AI software startup specializing in planning optimization, has successfully raised €6 million in a seed funding round led by Lakestar, one of Europe’s top venture capital firms. Returning investor Smartfin also participated in the round. This funding will accelerate the development and commercialization of Timefold’s groundbreaking PlanningAI technology, designed to optimize complex scheduling and routing challenges faced by large-scale enterprises.

The round follows a €2 million pre-seed funding secured in March 2023, led by Smartfin, which fueled the initial development and market introduction of Timefold's platform. The company’s software, based on the open-source OptaPlanner project, aims to solve inefficiencies in large-scale planning for industries such as logistics, transportation, field services, and workforce management.

Timefold’s platform is already trusted by several Fortune 500 companies, including Deutsche Bahn, Palantir, NEC, ADP, and Advantage Solutions. The new funding will enable Timefold to further scale its offerings, focusing on building out its platform and further developing planningAI models for other mission-critical applications.

A Game-Changing Solution for Scheduling Problems

Timefold’s PlanningAI platform is poised to eliminate the inefficiencies caused by inadequate planning solutions. Many businesses today face a choice between lengthy development cycles with custom-built models or underpowered off-the-shelf tools. Timefold offers a more powerful alternative—enterprise-ready models that can be easily integrated via REST APIs, reducing the need for expensive consultancy retainers or in-house expertise.

Geoffrey De Smet, CTO and co-founder of Timefold, highlighted the company’s vision:
"Planning is everywhere and often hidden in plain sight, yet efficient schedules are rare. From the field service technician coming to fix your boiler, to the plane assigned to your next flight: schedules run the world. We are tackling complex planning problems by providing out-of-the-box planning models for IT teams to run, test, and configure easily. It is easy to use, no math, and no need for consultants. Our API plugs seamlessly into your software, and with Lakestar’s backing, we can help businesses deploy planning that increases productivity, improves employee happiness, and reduces carbon emissions."

Proven Success and Growing Demand

Timefold is already making a significant impact across multiple industries. Companies like Palantir Technologies have partnered with Timefold to integrate their advanced scheduling optimizers across their Foundry platform.

"Palantir has collaborated with the Timefold team to make their world-class scheduling optimisers available across our Foundry and AI Platforms. The team’s experience, the depth of their solutions, and their willingness to dive into hard problems has enabled us to deliver significant outcomes for our customers. We are excited about their fundraise and look forward to scaling our impact together into the future,"

Backed by Industry Leaders

"Geoffrey's life's work has been to revolutionize how complex NP-hard problems are addressed, saving enterprises, governments, and infrastructure providers hundreds of millions of euros annually. For 18 years, his leading open-source technology has optimized critical operations, scheduling shifts for thousands of police officers, routing millions of parcels, assigning gates at major airports, and planning national train timetables."

Mellis added:
"When we met Geoffrey, Maarten, and the rest of the Timefold team, we recognized how uniquely talented this team is and the outsized potential of a category winner in the making. Maarten brings vital entrepreneurial expertise to propel Geoffrey’s vision to market. The solution's unmatched maturity and clear product-market fit, bolstered by partnerships with giants like Palantir, promise to transform operations across multiple industries."

Leadership and Growth

Timefold’s executive team includes industry veterans who have joined from top software companies like Showpad, Tinder, Qualtrics, and Techwolf, further strengthening its position to drive innovation and growth. CEO and co-founder Maarten Vandenbroucke commented:

"Typically, companies are left with two extreme choices: build their own models which take long development cycles and costly consultancy retainers, or use underpowered automation tools. With Timefold, neither is necessary. We have enterprise-ready models for field service routing, employee scheduling, production planning, and more in development. Our clients are already achieving better outcomes and faster time-to-market, which significantly reduces risk from their end."