Who led Wabi's new funding round?

IVP led the round, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, and angel investors including Tobi Lütke, Marc Benioff, Marissa Mayer, Dick Costolo, and Alex Pall.

What does Wabi do now?

Wabi originally focused on letting anyone build apps using prompts. Last month it pivoted to become an AI messenger, or Wabi 2.0, that builds the interfaces you need as part of its role as a personal AI agent.

Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded the AI companion startup Replika, founded Wabi.

Large Language ModelsAI Business & IndustryTechCrunch AI1h agoOct 30, 2026, 01:00 JST

Wabi raises $55 million at $1.25 billion valuation

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3 Key Points

What happened
Wabi, now describing itself as a 'personal agent,' said it raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation, in a round led by IVP.
Why it matters
The raise suggests investors back Wabi's pivot from prompt-based app building to an AI messenger that builds the interfaces you need, such as meal planning or fitness plans.

WHO IT HITSThis funding lands on founders and product teams building consumer AI agents, and on the angel investors and funds backing them, as Wabi's round adds another large valuation to the agent category.

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Context & Analysis

Wabi's raise arrives as investors place a range of bets on the winning AI assistant. The company began by letting anyone build apps using prompts, then announced a pivot last month to become an AI messenger, Wabi 2.0, that builds the interfaces you need to get things done as a personal AI agent — for example meal planning, tracking local restaurants, or creating fitness plans. IVP general partner Alex Lim said Eugenia Kuyda has 'a clear vision for how people will interact with AI, one that goes far beyond the text box or command line.' The round drew a mix of funds and high-profile angels, including Andreessen Horowitz, Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, former Yahoo! head Marissa Mayer, former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, and The Chainsmokers' Alex Pall. The financing follows other recent agent-related raises, such as Instinct pulling in another billion at a $10 billion valuation in September and Tolan raising $30 million.

FAQ

Who led Wabi's new funding round?: IVP led the round, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner, Amazon Alexa Fund, and angel investors including Tobi Lütke, Marc Benioff, Marissa Mayer, Dick Costolo, and Alex Pall.
What does Wabi do now?: Wabi originally focused on letting anyone build apps using prompts. Last month it pivoted to become an AI messenger, or Wabi 2.0, that builds the interfaces you need as part of its role as a personal AI agent.
Who founded Wabi?: Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded the AI companion startup Replika, founded Wabi.

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