Naïve raises $28.5M to automate business setup and operations

In short: Naïve has raised $28.5 million to build tools that let AI agents handle much of the busywork of starting and running a company.

What happened

Naïve is a startup that sells “infrastructure” for AI agents, meaning the behind-the-scenes setup that lets an AI program take actions, not just answer questions (like giving it keys to different services). The company says it has signed up over 30,000 developer customers within months of launching.

Naïve’s pitch is simple. It tries to put common business setup tasks behind one connection that developers can use, including payments, email accounts, phone numbers, cloud computing, data storage, and even U.S. company incorporation. Naïve says an AI agent can help form a U.S. LLC if a user provides details like the state and business description.

Some steps still require a human. Users must take part in identity checks, often called KYC and KYB (the “show your ID” steps for people and businesses), and they must approve certain payments.

The company says customers are using the product to run “autonomous” businesses, including AI automation agencies and “faceless” social media channels. Naïve also says its annual revenue run rate grew 10x over the past six months to the low double-digit millions, according to CEO and co-founder Sean Dorje.

Naïve’s Series A round was led by Nexus Venture Partners. Y Combinator, Zetta, Liquid 2, and several angel investors also participated. Naïve says it has 10 full-time employees.

Why it matters

If Naïve’s approach works, it could make it faster and cheaper to launch small businesses by turning many setup steps into a checklist an AI can complete. The company is also focusing on lowering the cost of running AI agents, which can get expensive when they are “on” all the time (like leaving a taxi meter running even when the car is parked).

Source: TechCrunch AI