Convergence AI, a new startup founded by Marvin Purtorab and Andy Toulis, has raised $12 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Salesforce Ventures and Shopify Ventures. The duo, who previously worked on recommender systems and AI assistants at Shopify and later joined Cohere, are now focused on developing an innovative AI agent called “Proxy.”
Having spent several years experimenting with AI agents, Purtorab and Toulis recognized that previous iterations were limited by their narrow focus on specific tasks. Convergence aims to change that by creating agents capable of handling a variety of workflows through a feature they call “long-term memory.” This approach leverages what some are referring to as “Large Meta Learning Models” (LMLM), allowing agents to learn and adapt independently, similar to human learning processes.
With a team that includes talent from industry giants like Google DeepMind, Meta, OpenAI, and PolyAI, Convergence has quickly built its product, attracting significant interest from investors. Purtorab noted that current AI agents typically serve specific functions—such as sales or HR—while their vision is to develop a more generalized agent capable of evolving based on individual user needs.
“Rather than everyone juggling multiple narrow agents, we believe in creating a consolidated solution that can adapt to various tasks,” said Purtorab. “Our goal is to enable users to focus on higher-level decision-making instead of tedious, repetitive tasks.”
Convergence plans to initially target consumer applications, like online shopping and recipe management, to gather user feedback. This consumer data will then inform the development of their enterprise solutions, which aim to streamline operations in fields like sales and talent management.
When asked about competing announcements from Salesforce regarding AI agents, Purtorab acknowledged the direction they’re taking but emphasized that their approach offers a broader scope. “While narrow agents have their place, the market is eager for solutions that can adapt more flexibly to user needs,” he stated.
Currently in closed beta, Convergence’s Proxy agent is set to open up for wider testing soon, aiming to redefine how users interact with AI in both consumer and enterprise settings.
