Google Veteran David Petrou Raises $8M to Launch AI Agents for Smarter Group Chats

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 start his own company. “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 vision led to the creation of Continua, a consumer-focused startup 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 large language models (LLMs) to group chats,” Petrou explained. On August 12, 2025, Continua announced it had raised an $8 million seed round led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Ventures Partners and several angel investors.

Enhancing Group Chats with AI

Petrou observed that people often interact with AI models like ChatGPT separately and then copy-paste the results into group conversations. Continua aims to integrate AI directly into group chats to streamline this process. “If you and I are planning a trip, deciding what to have for dinner, or choosing a movie to watch, all of these can be facilitated by an LLM participating in the group chat with us,” Petrou said. Continua’s AI agents reduce group chat chaos by joining conversations and offering helpful information only when necessary. They 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—like meeting times or locations—they can privately message Continua to retrieve the information.

Technical Challenges and Social Intelligence

While the concept may seem straightforward, Petrou emphasized the complexity of enabling LLMs to participate naturally in multi-person conversations. “Most AI models are designed for one-on-one interactions, so we had to fine-tune the LLMs to understand group dynamics,” he said. “We had to ‘break the LLM’s brain’ to give it social intelligence and integrate it naturally into conversations.” Users can summon Continua when needed or tell it to “hang back” if it’s too chatty. Getting started is simple: users add Continua’s phone number to a group SMS or its username to a Discord chat.

Market and Future Potential

Although other companies like Meta and startups such as Hey Umai offer AI agents for conversations, Petrou believes Continua’s focus on group interactions sets it apart. Erik Nordlander, general partner at GV, noted that his firm invested in Petrou even before Continua’s group chat AI concept fully formed. “David is a really brilliant engineer, someone who’s been working with AI since before it was the hot thing.” Nordlander sees multiple paths to profitability, mentioning that Continua’s AI already assists with event planning and trip booking—services that could become monetized in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What problem does Continua aim to solve? A: Continua aims to solve the issue of bringing AI's capabilities into group chats, streamlining collaboration and interaction by integrating LLMs directly into conversations. Q: How does Continua's AI integrate into group chats? A: Continua's AI agents can be added to group chats via SMS or by username on platforms like Discord. They join conversations to offer helpful information and perform tasks without constant user intervention. Q: What kind of tasks can Continua's AI agents perform within a group chat? A: Continua's AI agents can perform tasks such as automatically setting reminders, launching polls, adding calendar invitations, and generating documents with checklists and to-do lists. Q: How does Continua ensure the AI integrates naturally into conversations? A: The company had to fine-tune LLMs to understand group dynamics and give them "social intelligence" to integrate naturally, a process Petrou described as "breaking the LLM's brain." Q: What makes Continua different from other AI conversation tools? A: Continua differentiates itself by focusing specifically on enhancing group interactions, unlike other tools that might focus on one-on-one conversations. Q: What are the potential future monetization strategies for Continua? A: Continua's AI already assists with services like event planning and trip booking, which could be monetized in the future.

Crypto Market AI's Take

This news highlights a significant trend in the burgeoning field of AI-powered applications. The ability of AI agents to understand and participate in complex group dynamics, as Continua is developing, has vast implications. At Crypto Market AI, we are also deeply invested in the power of AI to enhance various aspects of finance and trading. Our platform leverages AI agents and advanced machine learning models to provide sophisticated market analysis, automated trading bots, and personalized financial planning tools. The concept of seamlessly integrating AI into communication channels, as Continua is doing, aligns with our vision of making advanced financial tools accessible and intuitive. For those interested in exploring how AI can transform their financial strategies, we offer insights into AI-powered crypto trading bots and comprehensive AI personal finance tools.

Google vet raises M for Continua to bring AI agents to group chats