In early 2023, David Petrou, a renowned engineer and co-founder of both Google Goggles and Google Glass, made headlines with a surprising career move. After dedicating over 17 years to Google, he decided to embark on a new journey by launching his own startup, Continua. In an interview with TechCrunch, Petrou explained his motivation: “I was seeing how fast technology was changing, and I felt there are certain ideas that are best explored in the context of a startup.”
Continua aims to revolutionize the way we communicate in group chats by leveraging the power of AI agents. The startup focuses on enhancing collaboration and interaction across popular messaging platforms such as SMS, iMessage, and Discord. “The simple way to think about it is that we’re bringing the power of large language models (LLMs) to group chats,” Petrou stated, highlighting the core mission of Continua.
Recently, Continua made waves by announcing an impressive $8 million seed funding round, led by GV, along with contributions from Bessemer Venture Partners and various angel investors. This funding is set to propel Continua’s mission of integrating AI into everyday conversations, making group interactions more efficient and organized.
Petrou observed a common behavior among users: when interacting with AI tools like ChatGPT, people would often copy and paste information into their group conversations. He identified a significant opportunity to create a solution that allows AI to participate directly in these chats. “If you and I are planning a trip, or if we’re trying to figure out what to have for dinner, all of these things can be facilitated by an LLM participating in a group chat with us,” he explained.
Continua’s AI agents are designed to minimize the chaos often associated with group chats. By joining conversations and providing relevant information only when necessary, they help streamline discussions. As users plan events or projects, Continua can automatically set reminders, launch polls, and generate Google documents containing checklists and to-do lists. If a user forgets critical details from the conversation, they can easily send a direct message to Continua for quick retrieval of information.
At first glance, Continua may appear as a straightforward application of AI; however, Petrou emphasizes the complexities involved. Most AI models are optimized for one-on-one interactions, making it a challenge to adapt LLMs for group dynamics. “You want the agent to have social intelligence,” Petrou remarked, explaining the need for Continua to “break the LLM’s brain” to facilitate seamless integration into group conversations.
Users can easily engage with Continua by adding its phone number to a group SMS or its username to a Discord chat. The AI agent can be called upon for assistance or instructed to “hang back” when it’s chiming in too frequently, allowing for a more natural conversational flow.
While several companies, including Meta and the startup Hey Umai, are developing AI agents for conversation, Petrou asserts that Continua is uniquely positioned for group interactions. Erik Nordlander, a general partner at GV, shared his enthusiasm for Petrou’s vision, stating that his firm invested even before the full concept of Continua had been realized. “David is a really brilliant engineer, someone who’s been working with AI since before it was the hot thing,” Nordlander remarked.
Looking ahead, Continua has multiple avenues for profitability. Already assisting users with event planning and trip booking, the startup may explore monetization opportunities in these areas as it continues to evolve and expand its offerings in the AI-driven communication space.
