A growing number of startups are exploring the concept of “agentic” tools designed to automate online tasks, even as a unifying definition of AI “agents” remains elusive. Among these innovators is Browser Use, a company that has garnered significant interest from both developers and investors for its technology that enhances website readability for AI agents.

Funding Milestone and Recognition

In a recent development, Browser Use announced it has successfully secured $17 million in seed funding. The round was led by Felicis Ventures, with notable participation from investors including Paul Graham, A Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners. This funding, as reported by TechCrunch, marks a noteworthy achievement for the startup.

Origins and Development

Founded in 2024 by Magnus Müller and Gregor Zunic through ETH Zurich’s Student Project House accelerator, Browser Use has quickly risen to prominence. Müller, who has extensive experience with web-scraping tools, partnered with Zunic while pursuing their master’s degrees in data science. The duo conceptualized an innovative solution that merges web scraping with data science to enable browsers to perform specific tasks efficiently.

The initial demo of Browser Use was developed in just five weeks and later open-sourced, leading to a surge in its popularity.

Innovative Approach to Web Interaction

Browser Use revolutionizes how AI agents interact with websites by simplifying complex structures into a more interpretable, text-like format. This transformation allows agents to better comprehend various web components and make autonomous decisions.

“A lot of agents rely on vision-based systems and navigate websites through screenshots, which can lead to errors,” said Müller. “We convert websites into a comprehensible format for agents, enabling the same tasks to be performed repeatedly at a lower cost.”

Positioning in the Market

Müller believes that Browser Use has the potential to become a foundational layer in the emerging AI agent market, given the rising demand for tools that facilitate seamless website navigation. More than 20 companies from the current Y Combinator Winter batch have already utilized Browser Use for their operational needs.

“We receive inquiries from companies asking how they can aid agents in navigating their websites,” Müller explained, highlighting the challenges posed by frequently changing websites like LinkedIn.

Investor Insights

Astasia Myers from Felicis Ventures expressed confidence in the prospects of Browser Use, noting the firm’s keen interest in the AI agent sector over the years. She identified the startup’s founding team and open-source approach as critical factors for investment, emphasizing, “We think web AI agents are the next frontier that really helps with the end-to-end automation of human tasks.”

Myers elaborated that web AI agents represent a pivotal bridge between static models and the dynamic realities of the digital landscape.