Although a universally accepted definition of an AI “agent” has yet to be established, numerous startups are working towards creating “agentic” tools to automate various online tasks. One such company, Browser Use, has garnered significant attention from developers and investors due to its innovative solution that enhances the “readability” of websites for AI agents.

In an exclusive announcement to TechCrunch, Browser Use revealed that it has secured a substantial $17 million seed funding round, led by Felicis’ Astasia Myers, with participation from prominent investors including Paul Graham, A Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners. This funding round had not been previously disclosed.

As a member of Y Combinator’s 2025 winter batch, Browser Use has gained significant recognition in recent months. The company’s involvement in the viral tool Manus, developed by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, further amplified its visibility.

Browser Use was founded by Magnus Müller and Gregor Zunic in 2024, while they were pursuing their master’s degrees in data science at ETH Zurich’s Student Project House accelerator. Müller had previously worked on web-scraping tools for several years and met Zunic during their time at the university. Together, they conceptualized the idea of combining web scraping with data science to enable a browser to perform tasks autonomously.

Müller and Zunic successfully built a demo of Browser Use within a mere five weeks, which subsequently gained traction. They then decided to open-source the project.

Browser Use’s primary function is to break down website elements into a more readable, text-like format, facilitating AI agents’ understanding of the various options and enabling them to make decisions independently.

According to Müller, many agents rely on vision-based systems, attempting to navigate websites through screenshots, which often results in errors. In contrast, Browser Use converts websites into a format that agents can comprehend, allowing for repeated task execution at a lower cost.

As the number of AI companies seeking to improve their agents’ interaction with websites continues to grow, Müller believes Browser Use can become a fundamental layer serving this need. Notably, over 20 companies in the current Y Combinator Winter batch have utilized Browser Use for their own purposes.

“We’re receiving inquiries from companies asking how they can make their websites more accessible to agents,” Müller said. “Certain websites, such as LinkedIn, frequently change their layout, causing agents to fail in navigating them.”

Felicis’ Astasia Myers stated that the firm has been actively exploring the AI agents space for several years and recognized Browser Use as an ideal opportunity to expand its portfolio. The company’s founding team and open-source-first approach were key factors in sealing the deal.

“We believe web AI agents represent the next frontier in automating human tasks end-to-end,” Myers told TechCrunch. “These agents serve as a dynamic bridge between static pre-trained models, which are primarily text-focused, and the ever-changing digital landscape.”