August 13, 2025
5 min read
Marina Temkin
In early 2023, David Petrou, a distinguished engineer and founding member of both Google Goggles and Google Glass, made a surprising move. After more than 17 years at Google, he left to launch his own startup.
“I was seeing how fast technology was changing, and I felt there are certain ideas that are best explored in the context of a startup,” Petrou told TechCrunch.
His ultimate vision was to build Continua, a consumer-facing company that uses AI agents to enhance collaboration and interaction in group chats across SMS, iMessage, and Discord.
“The simple way to think about it is that we’re bringing the power of LLMs to group chats,” Petrou said.
On August 12, 2025, Continua announced it has raised an $8 million seed round led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Ventures Partners and several angel investors.
Petrou observed that people often interact with ChatGPT or other large language models (LLMs) and then copy-paste the results into group conversations.
“If you and I are planning a trip, or if we’re trying to figure out what to have for dinner, or what movie to watch, all of these things can be facilitated by an LLM participating in a group chat with us,” he explained.
Continua’s AI agents aim to reduce group chat chaos by joining conversations and offering helpful information only when needed. As groups discuss projects or plans, Continua can automatically set reminders, launch polls, add calendar invitations, or generate Google documents with checklists and to-do lists.
If a user forgets details from the chat, such as meeting time or location, they can privately direct message Continua to retrieve the information.
While Continua may seem like a straightforward AI application, Petrou emphasized the technical complexity of enabling LLMs to participate naturally in multi-person conversations. Most AI models are designed for one-on-one interactions, so Continua had to fine-tune LLMs to understand group dynamics.
“You want the agent to have social intelligence,” Petrou said. “We had to ‘break the LLM’s brain’ to naturally integrate the AI into conversations.”
Users can summon Continua when they need help or tell it to "hang back" if it’s responding too often. Getting started is simple: add Continua’s phone number to a group SMS or its username to a Discord chat.
Though other companies like Meta and startups such as Hey Umai also offer AI agents for conversations, Petrou asserts that Continua is uniquely suited for group interactions.
Erik Nordlander, general partner at GV, said his firm invested in Petrou even before Continua’s group chat AI concept was fully formed. “David is a really brilliant engineer, someone who’s been working with AI since before it was the hot thing.”
Nordlander also noted Continua’s multiple potential revenue streams. The agent already assists with event planning and trip booking, services that could become monetized in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About Continua and AI Agents
Q: What is Continua? A: Continua is a consumer-facing company founded by David Petrou that uses AI agents to improve collaboration and interaction in group chats across various platforms like SMS, iMessage, and Discord. Q: How do Continua's AI agents enhance group chats? A: Continua's AI agents join group conversations to offer relevant information, set reminders, launch polls, create calendar invitations, and generate documents, thereby reducing chaos and streamlining discussions. Q: What is the technical challenge Continua addressed? A: Continua addressed the technical complexity of enabling Large Language Models (LLMs) to participate naturally in multi-person conversations, which is different from their typical one-on-one interaction design. They had to fine-tune LLMs for group dynamics and "social intelligence." Q: How does a user get started with Continua? A: Users can start by adding Continua's phone number to a group SMS or its username to a Discord chat. Q: How do Continua's AI agents differ from other conversational AI? A: Petrou asserts that Continua is uniquely suited for group interactions, suggesting a focus on understanding and managing multi-participant dialogue rather than just individual conversations. Q: What are some potential future uses for Continua's AI agents? A: Continua's agents are already assisting with event planning and trip booking, indicating future monetization opportunities in these areas.Crypto Market AI's Take
The development of AI agents like those from Continua signifies a broader trend in how artificial intelligence is being integrated into our daily communication and collaboration tools. At Crypto Market AI, we're closely watching the evolution of AI agents, especially their potential applications within the financial and cryptocurrency sectors. Our platform leverages AI for market analysis and trading, aiming to provide users with sophisticated tools to navigate the complexities of the crypto market. The ability of AI agents to process information, manage tasks, and interact in group settings could have significant implications for how teams collaborate on investment strategies or how market insights are disseminated and acted upon. We believe that advancing the capabilities of AI agents in understanding nuanced conversations and complex data will be crucial for their adoption in sensitive areas like finance. You can learn more about how we utilize AI for market analysis and trading strategies by exploring our AI Agents section, and for insights into the broader crypto market, check out our News Hub.More to Read:
- The Future of AI in Cryptocurrency Trading
- Understanding LLMs and Their Impact on Finance
- Best AI Crypto Coins to Watch in 2025