Vinod Khosla, renowned venture capitalist, is backing Wajo, a personal AI assistant startup created by former Google and DeepMind engineer Shivani Poddar. Khosla highlights trust as the critical differentiator for Wajo in the highly competitive personal-agent market, which includes Meta’s Muse and Instinct from OpenAI. He argues that unlike larger companies such as Meta, Wajo is architected with a primary focus on trust and safety, addressing users’ concerns about data privacy and control over personal information.

Wajo’s Fo agent operates across popular messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp and can handle various personal tasks such as scheduling, gifting, and life administration by calling businesses or contacts on the user’s behalf. Unique to Wajo is its ability to enlist human assistance if an AI agent struggles with a task. It also securely manages financial transactions by generating virtual credit cards, protecting user payment details. Since its launch in late September 2026, Wajo claims rapid 10x user growth and global reach in 107 countries, although specific user numbers and funding amounts remain undisclosed.

Founder Shivani Poddar emphasizes that trust must be embedded from day one, both through technology and product design. She notes that agents with access to personal data must be capable of “unlearning” information, a challenge not fully addressed by others. Wajo is pursuing innovations such as a patent for its virtual card system and features like a trusted contacts list for call permissions. The startup is also exploring multi-user social interactions while strictly maintaining privacy, striving to position itself as a safer alternative amid growing scrutiny of AI assistants and privacy concerns.

Despite the progress, Wajo and its competitors face significant hurdles from e-commerce and web services that often block AI agents, either intentionally or due to anti-bot security measures. Companies like Amazon have blocked Meta’s Muse, and many retailers and airlines maintain policies restricting automated access. Industry leaders including Meta and Walmart are collaborating on open standards to better integrate AI agents into commerce, aiming to balance security with service. Wajo asserts its compliance with platforms’ terms of service, aiming to navigate this evolving landscape by prioritizing trust and safety while expanding functionality.