Sara Du, founder of the startup Ando, launched a new team messaging platform designed to seamlessly integrate human workers with AI agents. Having identified frustrations with how existing platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams treat AI agents as mere apps rather than true conversation participants, Du built Ando to enable agents to join discussions naturally and contribute meaningfully. Rather than relying on humans to relay AI insights, Ando allows agents to actively participate, understand context, ask questions, and collaborate directly with team members.

Ando’s platform assigns distinct identities and inboxes to AI agents, enabling them to browse channels, join conversations without tags, and initiate direct communication with humans when necessary. Features include traditional messaging elements such as channels, direct messages, group chats, and live calls, which AI agents can transcribe and engage in. This architecture lets AI agents proactively coordinate work, sometimes even connecting disparate conversations around the same issue, facilitating smoother team collaboration that can surpass human capabilities in processing large volumes of information.

To support their vision, Ando announced a $20 million fundraise in a pre-seed and seed round led by investors including Accel, Index Ventures, and Emergence. Despite competition from Slack and Microsoft Teams, which have integrated AI capabilities, Du argues there remains space for new platforms built from the ground up around AI-human collaboration. Ando currently serves small teams in sectors like software, real estate, and finance in 15 countries, with plans to expand and further develop the app’s capabilities using the new capital.

Du believes AI agents on Ando can enable small teams to operate at scales formerly requiring many more people, allowing humans to focus on strategy and judgment while AI handles execution and coordination. Although initial reception was lukewarm due to early platform limitations, increasing user engagement demonstrated the value of agents’ advanced participation. Ando’s approach rethinks workplace communication by seeing AI not just as tools but as active teammates, poised to transform how work is managed and accomplished.