Former Google Distinguished Engineer David Petrou Launches Continua, a New Vision for Social AI
$8M funding round led by GV fuels first-of-its-kind use of large language models
Continua, the company pioneering Social AI, announced it has raised $8 million in seed funding to uplevel the group chat, reimagining how artificial intelligence can be a true participant in dynamic conversations. The round was led by GV with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and notable angel investors including Jeff Dean, Adam Ghetti, Eoghan McCabe, Josh Reznick, Peter Mattis, Spencer Kimball, Daniel Loreto, Ben Sigelman, Dor Levi, Zach Lloyd, Eyal Manor, Lauryn Motamedi, Des Traynor, Dan Shipper, and more.
Founded by David Petrou, a former Google Distinguished Software engineer who helped start Google Goggles, Continua was born out of a vision to harness the full power of large language models, organizing the flurry of ideas in group conversations and shaping them into something meaningful. Continua joins the group chat on SMS, iMessage, or Discord, adding an always-on AI agent that helps tame the chaos, elevate productivity, and coordinate between all the members of the group.
Leveraging his time and learnings from being on the founding team of Google Glass, and leading large teams launching on-device machine intelligence, Petrou identified an opportunity to expand beyond the visual world and create a new type of AI that is capable of magnifying what’s in users’ minds while advancing the conversation of multiple people at once.
“In the years I spent exploring computer vision and visual search, I realized there was an untapped opportunity to fundamentally shift how we understand and share information,” said Petrou, founder and CEO of Continua. “So much of what is interesting happens inside our own thoughts and the ideas we share with others — things we cannot see. Continua reaches beyond the visual by activating large language models to grapple with all this hidden terrain.”
Studies show that 66% of Americans feel overwhelmed by group chats, though 100% of GenZ and 83% of all Americans take part in one to four group chats regularly. Continua is an agent that unlocks an entirely new way to text — increasing shared understanding, deepening enjoyment, and centering attention on the things that matter most. With 52% of the workforce reporting that they experience burnout due to severe pressure, Continua’s technology provides critical relief.
A trusted member of the conversation, Continua’s agent understands social etiquette, can distinguish between distractions and directions, and gets smarter with every exchange, learning from the group’s inputs and outputs. Like a strong team player or a great friend, the agent will anticipate needs, offer actionable and timely assistance, and seamlessly integrate into the natural banter. Suggestions and brainstorm notes are shaped into clear, intentional, and assigned next steps, via shared checklists, documents, calendar invitations, and more.
This funding advances Continua’s ability to enhance the social fabric of how people coordinate, collaborate, and stay connected. With Continua, individuals can focus their attention on the things that are of highest priority to them, elevating their sense of fulfillment and advancing the group’s collective progress.
“David has built a team of industry veterans from leading technology companies to marry deep knowledge of AI with a superior consumer experience,” said Erik Nordlander, General Partner at GV. “The Continua team understands the power of large language models and how to deploy them intentionally to remove barriers and friction from everyday interactions and teamwork. Their technology is sparking a fundamental shift in how AI can serve people in their most important moments and we’re excited to support that vision of the future.”