Poke: The AI Personal Assistant Launches Publicly with $25M Funding, Valued at $300M
Poke, an AI agent developed by The Interaction Company of California, has publicly launched, offering a personal assistant accessible through various messaging platforms. The company secured a total of $25 million in funding, bringing its post-money valuation to $300 million.
Designed to provide action-oriented assistance, Poke enables users to manage daily tasks, track health, and control smart home devices via text messages, without requiring app installations.
Overview: An Action-Oriented AI Assistant
Poke operates as an AI personal assistant, accessible via iMessage, SMS, Telegram, and in select markets, WhatsApp. It launched publicly in March, positioning itself as a service focused on executing tasks rather than solely answering questions or conducting research.
The company behind Poke, The Interaction Company of California, is based in Palo Alto and was co-founded by Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel. It currently employs a team of 10 individuals.
Core Functionality and "Recipes"
The AI agent is designed to assist with a range of daily activities, including:
- Daily planning and calendar management
- Health and fitness tracking
- Smart home control
- Photo editing
Users can create and share custom automations, referred to as "recipes," using plain text commands. Examples include email alerts, weather reminders, medication reminders, news summaries, and sports scores. These recipes integrate with existing applications and services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Strava, Withings, Philips Hue, and Sonos.
The platform also offers integrations for developers with tools like PostHog, Webflow, and GitHub for workflow automation.
Technology and Accessibility: Text-First Approach
A key differentiator for Poke is its prioritization of accessibility, requiring no app download or software installation. Users can begin by visiting the platform's website and entering a phone number, interacting with the service entirely through text messaging. This approach contrasts with agentic AI systems that may require technical expertise or raise security concerns due to deep system access.
The platform utilizes a variety of AI models, including those from major providers and open-source options, dynamically selecting the most suitable model for each task. Messaging app functionality is facilitated by integration with Linq. While WhatsApp support is currently limited due to Meta's restrictions, antitrust investigations in the EU, Italy, and Brazil could potentially influence future availability.
Funding and Investor Support
The Interaction Company of California has secured a total of $25 million in funding. This includes an initial $15 million seed round and a recent additional $10 million. The company is currently valued at $300 million post-money.
Investors in Poke include Spark Capital and General Catalyst. Several prominent angel investors have also contributed, such as John and Patrick Collison (Stripe), Logan Kilpatrick (DeepMind), and Joanne Jang (OpenAI).
Security and Privacy Commitments
Poke employs a multi-layered security model, including regular penetration testing and security checks. Permissions for both AI agents and human employees are strictly limited.
By default, the company's team does not view user data unless explicit consent is provided by the user, for instance, to share log files or analytics.
Business Model and Growth Strategy
Poke operates on a flexible pricing model, featuring an initial free usage tier. Costs are incurred for tasks that require real-time inference, such as continuous email automations.
The company's immediate focus is on growth and widespread adoption rather than immediate profitability, with an stated goal of reaching a billion users. User numbers have reportedly increased tenfold in recent months. The platform also encourages creators to develop and share recipes, offering payments for user sign-ups generated through these contributions.