Meet your new AI coworkers: Convey raises $38 million led by a16z to take repetitive work off employees' plates.

Convey, an innovative startup that specializes in creating AI-driven "teammates," has successfully raised $38 million in Series A funding, with Andreessen Horowitz leading the investment. The funding round also saw contributions from Khosla Ventures and Pear VC, highlighting the growing interest in AI solutions within the enterprise software sector. As the demand for AI agents surges, numerous startups and established tech companies are actively developing tools designed to handle repetitive tasks for employees. In a notable industry move, Salesforce recently announced its acquisition of Fin, an AI-powered customer service platform, for a staggering $3.6 billion. However, Convey's co-founder and CEO Rohan Chopra is keen to differentiate his company from the typical "agent" label. He explained to Business Insider that the term can imply an overwhelming burden on the AI, stating, "We emphasize teammate over agent because the teammate is responsible for an outcome, not just a specific task." Chopra, who was one of the early engineers at DoorDash, drew inspiration for Convey from his past experiences. He recalled a colleague, Steve, who spent excessive time manually tracking deliveries instead of focusing on more critical tasks. Years later, with the advancements in AI technology, Chopra envisions that businesses lacking significant engineering resources can also benefit from freeing up their employees, or their "Steves," from mundane chores. Joe Schmidt, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz and now a member of Convey's board, emphasized the potential for growth through automation in the workplace. He noted, "I think this is going to be a way that every company across the economy can grow faster. The humans inside those companies can be doing the work they actually want to do." Convey has already attracted several major clients, including NBCUniversal, Samsara, TelevisaUnivision, Unity, Faire, and ChargePoint. Yet, the startup faces competition from large AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, which may venture into the same space. Chopra remains unfazed, comparing the situation to the early days of DoorDash when concerns arose about Uber entering the market. He asserts that having a focused approach is Convey's greatest strength. Despite concerns about AI displacing human workers, Chopra has observed that many employees are eager to embrace these changes, particularly those burdened with repetitive tasks they dislike. He shared an example of a restaurant employee who spent countless hours on data entry, a task that clearly detracted from her enjoyment of work. Chopra believes that the best applications for AI will be in roles that are operational and routine, where there is a clear right answer, while noting that strategic thinking and customer relations will always require a human touch.