Fundz

Photon raises $4.5M in seed funding co-led by Gradient and A* to deploy AI agents in iMessage, WhatsApp, and SMS channels.

PRIVATEOct 01, 2026

Amount Raised

$4.5 Million

Round Type

Seed

San FranciscoSoftwareArtificial IntelligenceMessaging

Investors

KarmanLlama VenturesZ FellowsHong ShanVercelA*Gradient

Description

Photon, a San Francisco-based messaging infrastructure startup, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding to enable developers to deploy AI agents directly into messaging channels. The round was co-led by Gradient and A*, with participation from Vercel, HongShan, Z Fellows, Llama Ventures, Karman, and angel investors. The company's Spectrum SDK connects AI agents to iMessage, RCS, SMS, WhatsApp, and other channels. Photon reported 10x revenue growth from May to August with 50 paying customers.

Company Information

Company

Photon

Location

San Francisco, California, United States

About

Photon is a San Francisco-based messaging infrastructure startup that enables developers to deploy AI agents directly into messaging channels like iMessage, WhatsApp, RCS, and SMS. The company provides the Spectrum SDK, which offers a single integration interface across multiple messaging platforms, allowing AI agents to reach users wherever they communicate. Photon powers chat experiences for over 1 million end users and has achieved 10x revenue growth from May to August with 50 paying customers. The startup is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA-compliant, serving regulated industries.

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Photon raised. Fundz records a round at a median of 3.6 minutes from the SEC filing, with the decision-maker attached.

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