The investment was driven by Laude co-founder Pete Sonsini, who has a history of backing technical founders and sees potential in Arcade's infrastructure-focused approach. Sonsini, known for early investments in companies like Databricks and Anyscale, believes Arcade fits well within the infrastructure space where significant businesses can be built. Arcade offers its platform through usage-based pricing or subscriptions, aiming to address the challenges of AI agents by providing secure and efficient access to necessary data and services.
Key takeaways:
- Arcade, founded by Alex Salazar and Sam Partee, raised $12 million from Laude Ventures, a fund launched by Perplexity co-founder Andy Konwinski.
- Arcade initially aimed to build an AI agent but pivoted to offering a tool-calling platform for AI agents after discovering limitations with existing agents.
- The platform integrates with OAuth for secure token management, allowing AI agents to access apps and data with the same privileges as the worker or job role they assist.
- Laude Ventures, co-founded by Pete Sonsini, focuses on technical founders and infrastructure-level innovations, aligning with Arcade's mission.