Wabi, an AI startup that began by letting users build apps through text prompts, said Thursday it has raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation. The company now describes itself as a “personal agent,” a shift that investors are clearly betting on.

Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded the AI companion app Replika, leads the company. Wabi originally focused on allowing anyone to build apps using prompts. Last month, however, the startup announced a pivot to become an AI messenger.

What Does Wabi Do Now?

The new Wabi, which the company calls Wabi 2.0, is designed to build the interfaces a user needs to get things done. In that role, it acts as a personal AI agent. Wabi says it could create mini apps for tasks such as meal planning, tracking local restaurants, planning date nights, building fitness plans and designing specialized trivia games.

Why Are Investors Backing AI Agents?

The funding suggests investors see potential in that agent-focused approach. Interest in AI agents is running high. Instinct, a viral AI agent, pulled in another $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation in September. Tolan, which makes a Muppet-like AI companion to help people navigate daily life, also recently raised $30 million.

Who Led Wabi's $55 Million Round?

IVP led the new round. Alex Lim, a general partner at the firm, said in a statement that Kuyda 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,” Lim said. “Wabi is the expression of that vision, and we’re thrilled to support her.”

Other participants in the round included Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Forerunner and the Amazon Alexa Fund. Angel investors also joined, among them 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.

The round puts Wabi among a growing group of companies vying to build the AI assistant people use most. Its bet is that users will want an agent that produces tools on demand rather than only answering questions in a chat window.

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