Paid, the London‑based AI startup founded by former Outreach CEO Manny Medina, closed an oversubscribed $21.6 million seed round led by Lightspeed. The company introduces a results‑based billing model that lets AI agent creators charge customers based on the measurable value the agents deliver, rather than traditional per‑user or subscription fees. Early customers include sales‑automation platform Artisan and ERP vendor IFS. Investors such as Lightspeed, EQT Ventures, and FUSE participated, and the round pushes total capital raised to $33.3 million, with a valuation reported to be above $100 million. Leia mais →

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, a panel explored how startups are swapping early hires for AI agents. Speakers included Caleb Peffer of Firecrawl, who enables developers and firms like Shopify and Zapier to embed AI on the live web; Jaspar Carmichael‑Jack of Artisan, whose “Stop Hiring Humans” campaign backs a $35 million effort to build AI employees; and Sarah Franklin of Lattice, a former Salesforce president who shared scaling insights. The discussion covered practical uses, ROI, and the balance between automation and human teams, highlighting a shift toward AI‑driven go‑to‑market functions. Leia mais →