San Francisco-based startup Tab has emerged from stealth with a $300 million valuation following a pre-seed raise. SV Angel, Valar Ventures, and American Spirit backed the round.
Co-founders Brennan Erbz, Stafford Schlitt, and Ammar Amdani built Tab around a simple premise: an AI agent should live where people already spend their time. Instead of a separate app or dashboard, Tab operates entirely through iMessage and WhatsApp. Users text it like a contact, and the agent handles real tasks in response.
Those tasks go well beyond answering questions. Tab actually books flights, calls businesses, drafts emails, and chases wire transfers on behalf of its users. The agent executes actions rather than simply suggesting them, which sets it apart from most AI assistants currently available.
The $300 million pre-seed valuation places Tab among the most richly valued stealth-stage AI startups in 2026. For context, the average pre-seed AI startup valuation currently sits around $15 million to $25 million, according to OpenVC data. Tab’s figure signals strong investor conviction in the messaging-first approach to AI agents.
Tab enters a rapidly growing space. Reportedly, a wave of AI agents now live inside text messaging platforms, with startups like Poke, Folk, and Miso all building agents accessible through SMS or iMessage. Apple also approved its first AI agent on the Messages for Business platform in June 2026. However, most of these agents handle limited tasks such as scheduling or simple lookups.
Tab’s approach is broader. By handling financial transactions, travel bookings, and direct phone calls to businesses, the startup positions itself as a full-service personal AI that requires zero app installation. The agent works through messaging platforms that users already have on their phones, which removes the adoption friction that has plagued other AI assistant products.
The startup has not yet disclosed its user count or revenue figures. However, the pre-seed valuation suggests that Tab’s early traction or technology demo was compelling enough to command a premium from top-tier Silicon Valley investors.
