On Thursday, Wabi, the AI startup founded by Replika creator Eugenia Kuyda, said it has raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation after announcing a pivot of sorts from prompt-based app-building to an AI messenger that now describes itself as a personal agent.
IVP led the round. Other participants included Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, and angel investors including Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, former Yahoo! head Marissa Mayer, former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and Alex Pall, one half of The Chainsmokers.
Wabi originally focused on letting anyone build apps using prompts. Last month the startup announced a pivot of sorts to become an AI messenger. The company now describes itself as a personal agent that could build the interfaces people need to get things done, suggesting Wabi could be used for mini apps for meal planning, tracking local restaurants, planning date nights, creating fitness plans, and designing specialized trivia games.
Alex Lim, general partner at IVP, which led the new round, said in a statement: "Eugenia has a unique sense for where AI is headed and a track record of great taste in building it. She has a clear vision for how people will interact with AI, one that goes far beyond the text box or command line. Wabi is the expression of that vision, and we’re thrilled to support her."
The funding comes as investors spread their bets across AI assistants, with viral AI agent Instinct raising another billion dollars at a $10 billion valuation in September and Even Tolan, which makes a muppet-like AI companion, just raising $30 million.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The round values Wabi at $1.25 billion, a major mark for a startup that has only recently repositioned itself as an AI agent rather than an app-building tool.
- It is an early test of whether investors will back agents that generate interfaces and complete tasks, not just chatbots that reply in text.
- The startup's founding pedigree and prominent angel investors signal that the AI agent race is drawing mainstream interest.
Background
Wabi was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, who previously created the AI companion startup Replika. It began as a tool for anyone to build apps from prompts, then last month shifted toward becoming an AI messenger and personal agent. The new funding arrives as investors place competing bets on AI assistants, including agent startups and companion-like products.
What to Watch
- Whether Wabi's pivot from prompt-built apps to a personal agent messenger translates into user growth.
- How the AI agent market develops after recent large rounds, including Instinct's $10 billion valuation and Even Tolan's $30 million raise.
- Whether Wabi's backers continue to fund the company as it builds out Wabi 2.0's agent features.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedWabi raised $55 million.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “said it has raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation.”
- SupportedThe round valued Wabi at $1.25 billion.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “said it has raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation.”
- SupportedWabi is now describing itself as a personal agent.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “On Thursday, another AI app, Wabi , now describing itself as a “personal agent,” said it has raised $55 million”
- SupportedWabi announced the funding on Thursday.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “On Thursday, another AI app, Wabi , now describing itself as a “personal agent,” said it has raised $55 million”
- SupportedWabi was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded Replika.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Founded by Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded the AI companion startup Replika, Wabi originally focused on allowing anyone to build apps using prompts .”
- SupportedLast month, Wabi announced a pivot from prompt-based app-building to becoming an AI messenger.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Wabi originally focused on allowing anyone to build apps using prompts . Last month, however, the startup announced a pivot of sorts to become an AI messenger.”
- SupportedIVP led the funding round.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Alex Lim, general partner at IVP, which led the new round, in a statement.”
- SupportedThe other participants included Andreessen Horowitz, Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, and the listed angel investors.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Other participants in the round included Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, and angel investors like Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, former Yahoo! head Marissa Mayer, former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and one half of The Chainsmokers, Alex Pall.”
- SupportedAlex Lim said: “Eugenia has a unique sense for where AI is headed and a track record of great taste in building it. She has a clear vision for how people will interact with AI, one that goes far beyond the text box or command line. Wabi is the expression of that vision, and we’re thrilled to support her.”AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: ““Eugenia has a unique sense for where AI is headed and a track record of great taste in building it,” said Alex Lim, general partner at IVP, which led the new round, in a statement. “She has a clear vision for how people will interact with AI, one that goes far beyond the text box or command line. Wabi is the expression of that vision, and we’re thrilled to support her.””
- SupportedWabi could build the interfaces people need to get things done as part of its role as a personal AI agent.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “The idea now is that the new Wabi — or Wabi 2.0, as it was called — could build the interfaces you need to get things done as part of its role as your personal AI agent.”
- SupportedThe source says Wabi could be used to build mini apps for meal planning, tracking local restaurants, planning date nights, fitness plans and specialized trivia games.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “The company suggests Wabi could be used to build mini apps for things like meal planning, tracking local restaurants, planning date nights, creating fitness plans, designing specialized trivia games, and more.”
- SupportedThe source reports that Even Tolan just raised $30 million.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Even Tolan, which makes a cute, muppet-like AI companion to help people navigate life, just raised $30 million .”