San Francisco-based Juno, an AI-powered tax preparation startup founded by CPA Dave Haase, has raised $12 million in seed funding led by Bonfire Ventures. The company targets small and mid-sized accounting firms that handle 90% of the market but remain stuck in manual data entry processes. Haase built Juno after witnessing ChatGPT file a tax return, recognizing both AI's potential and risks.

Juno operates as a co-pilot for human accountants, automating 90% of data entry across 90+ document types while flagging inconsistencies for human validation. The platform reduces a typical two-to-three-hour tax preparation process to just seven to 10 minutes. Since launching in 2024, Juno has grown to nearly 500 customers and reached mid-seven-figure annual recurring revenue, selling on a per-return basis starting at $45.

Investor Jim Andelman cited Juno's founder-market fit and transparent, auditable AI approach as key differentiators. Unlike competitors targeting self-prep or enterprise markets, Juno focuses on the underserved SMB segment where trust and accuracy remain paramount. The funding comes amid a 29% surge in fintech investment to $53.8 billion in 2025, as startups increasingly apply AI to traditionally manual financial processes.