Perplexity employee who worked on Comet launches an AI browser aimed at knowledge work
Polar, an AI browser created by a former Perplexity team member, has raised a $5.7 million seed round to target knowledge work automation.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Former Perplexity employee launches an AI browser named Polar
- Secures $5.7 million in a seed round led by Madrona
- Designed for knowledge workers to schedule workflows and automate tasks
- Free to use with daily credits, with paid subscriptions starting at $20 per month
AI browsers were all the rage back in 2025, with companies both large and small rushing to build browsers with baked-in artificial intelligence in an attempt to own the interface people use for internet browsing. However, the tables have turned significantly since then. OpenAI’s Atlas is history, The Browser Company sold to Atlassian with its Dia browser focusing on productivity use cases, and Firefox faced heavy backlash despite trying to strike a balance by providing an off-switch for its AI features.
This year, the focus has shifted toward agents and automation. Startups such as Strawberry, Browser Use, and Aside are building browsers with an agentic slant, and even Perplexity’s Comet has moved toward providing browser agents.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Amidst this changing landscape, a startup called Polar has emerged with an AI-first browser tailored specifically for knowledge workers, successfully securing a $5.7 million seed round led by Madrona.
CEO Kevin Jiang, who previously worked at Perplexity on Comet, explained that the first wave of AI browsers aimed to alter default search settings and let users chat with tabs to handle tasks like booking travel, which did not prove to be a strong long-term value proposition.
With Polar, users can schedule workflows, save prompts, and assign tasks to agents based on their currently open tabs. The company states that the browser is easy to use for non-technical individuals and assists with functions such as sales, recruitment, marketing, research, and business operations.
I think that the hard part is building really reliable agentic work on the open, logged-in web. Building a web browser has a whole set of different advantages of understanding how users interact and engage with websites. Plus, they are logged into most of these websites, giving the tool access to services they use the most.
Sabrina Albert, partner at Madrona
Choosing to build a dedicated browser rather than a standard extension or desktop app provides Polar with a distinct architectural edge. Because browsers natively house user sessions, active logins, and authentication tokens, agentic workflows can operate seamlessly across different web services without requiring constant manual logins or complex API integrations.
The browser itself is free to use, offering a handful of daily credits for AI tasks. Users who require higher limits can choose subscription plans starting at $20 per month. Polar notes that most of its current user base relies on the browser strictly for automation while keeping another browser as their daily driver, aligning with the startup's long-term goal of becoming a core automation utility.
Source: TechCrunch
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