## Anysphere's Meteoric Rise in AI-Powered Coding

Anysphere, the innovative company behind the popular **coding assistant Cursor**, is currently evaluating investment offers that could value the startup at an astounding **$30 billion**. This figure represents a **tripling of its valuation** from a funding round that concluded just mid-year, signaling a massive surge in investor confidence and market excitement.

### What This Means for the Tech Industry

This potential investment underscores the growing **enthusiasm among investors** for advanced AI tools that enhance developer productivity. Cursor has been gaining traction for its ability to streamline coding processes, making it a standout in the competitive landscape of software development aids.

### Key Drivers Behind the Valuation Spike

- **Rapid adoption** of AI in coding environments.
- **Strong performance metrics** and user growth for Cursor.
- Increasing **demand for automation** in software engineering, fueling investor interest in cutting-edge solutions like those offered by Anysphere.

As discussions progress, this development could reshape how startups in the AI and tech sectors approach funding and growth strategies, highlighting the critical role of **innovation and market timing** in achieving unicorn status.

Anysphere, the maker of coding assistant Cursor, is considering offers to invest in the startup at around a $30 billion valuation, roughly triple its valuation in a round that closed mid-year, according to people familiar with the discussions. The offers indicates that investor excitement about ...

Coding Revolution: Cursor-Maker Anysphere Eyes $30 Billion Valuation in Game-Changing Investment Talks

## The OpenAI Mafia Expands

**A former OpenAI product manager who played a key role in building ChatGPT has quietly launched a new AI startup**, and it's already attracting attention from some of the biggest names in the industry.

![Thinking Machines Lab CEO Mira Murati](https://i.insider.com/68069905a466d2b74ab3b957?width=700)

*Thinking Machines Lab CEO Mira Murati*

### Exclusive Investment Details

The startup, called **Worktrace AI**, has secured backing from **Mira Murati**, OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer and one of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence development. This marks another significant move in what industry insiders are calling the "OpenAI mafia" - former employees who are now launching their own ventures with support from their former colleagues.

### What We Know About Worktrace AI

While specific details about Worktrace AI's technology remain under wraps, the involvement of both a former ChatGPT product manager and Murati suggests the startup is working on **cutting-edge AI solutions** that could potentially disrupt existing markets.

**The timing is particularly interesting** given the rapid evolution of AI technologies and the increasing competition in the space. Having OpenAI veterans at the helm provides Worktrace AI with unique insights into large language models and AI product development.

### The Growing OpenAI Alumni Network

This development highlights how **OpenAI alumni are becoming a significant force** in the broader AI startup ecosystem. With deep expertise in developing some of the world's most advanced AI systems, these former employees are well-positioned to identify and solve new challenges in the field.

The backing from Murati, who has been instrumental in OpenAI's technical direction and product strategy, adds significant credibility to Worktrace AI's vision and execution capabilities.

The OpenAI mafia is expanding. Find out who else is backing Worktrace AI. 

Ex-OpenAI Product Manager's Secret AI Startup Backed by Mira Murati Revealed

## Prezent's Strategic Move in AI-Powered Presentations

![Prezent](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/GcPqBVS9rofKX8BsMY3gpQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTQyNztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/techcrunch_finance_785/a0a23f369afc772027ac12af772bad9b)

**Prezent**, an AI-powered presentation builder for enterprises, has secured **$30 million** in new funding. This round was led by **Multiplier Capital**, **Greycroft**, and **Nomura Strategic Ventures**, with participation from existing investors including **Emergent Ventures**, **WestWave Capital**, and **Alumni Ventures**.

The Los Altos, California-based startup is now valued at **$400 million** and has raised over **$74 million** to date. A significant portion of this new capital is earmarked for **acquisitions**, marking a strategic expansion phase.

### First Acquisition: Prezentium

Prezent has made its first acquisition by purchasing **Prezentium**, a services-led presentation company operating in the life sciences vertical. Founded by Deepti Juturu, Prezentium has a unique connection to Prezent—**Rajat Mishra**, Prezent's founder, was a co-founder of Prezentium and has served as its non-operating president since starting Prezent.

This acquisition brings Mishra's two ventures under one roof, leveraging Prezentium's existing client base to expand Prezent's AI suite offerings. The companies already had a partnership, with Prezent using Prezentium as a **go-to-market partner**.

![Prezent](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pGFL9x02ET3IpNFCRucAYg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTQyNjtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/techcrunch_finance_785/8823f2014d66d7073d3a72ca7b96577a)

### Competitive Landscape and Enterprise Focus

The AI presentation tool space is crowded, with competitors like **Presentations.ai**, **Lica**, **Gamma**, and **Chronicle**—all backed by **Accel**. While many focus on consumers and small businesses, Prezent is doubling down on its **enterprise strategy**, targeting larger corporations.

Previously, Prezent expressed intentions to expand into verticals such as finance and manufacturing. However, founder Rajat Mishra now emphasizes focusing on the **life sciences and tech industries** for the time being.

Mishra, a former McKinsey employee, stated, "There are plenty of tools that are trying to make presentations pretty. We want to provide the best tools for **business communications**. I think presentation is one of the frontiers in businesses that is not automated yet. We want to help data scientists and designers to communicate effectively with this automation."

![Prezent founder Rajat Mishra](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/bRJJamOUjxjlv3gs2clQUQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/techcrunch_finance_785/c71860a6106f49f260c44c13515a5f32)

### Specialized AI Training and On-Site Support

Prezent is taking a **specialized approach** by training AI models tailored to specific industries. To facilitate adoption, the company places **presentation engineers** within enterprises. These engineers are familiar with both the industry and Prezent's offerings, helping teams integrate AI tools into their workflow.

Mishra explained, "The reality of AI in enterprise is that while AI can do many things, it can’t teach people [how] to use AI. That is why we want to place presentation engineers in companies to help our customers **adopt the product faster**."

Months after raising $20 million, enterprise-focused AI presentation startup Prezent is raising $30 million for acquisitions.

Prezent's $30M AI Acquisition Strategy: Uniting Founder's Ventures Under One Roof

## The Unexpected Revival of E-Commerce Startups

Lately, venture capitalist **Ben Lerer** has found himself experiencing a bit of déjà vu: Once again, there's a whole nest of **thriving e-commerce startups** worth his attention. When I reached him a couple weeks ago, his firm, **Lerer Hippeau**, was just putting money into two of them: **Elm Biosciences**, a company developing innovative health products for direct-to-consumer sales.

This renewed interest marks a significant shift in the startup landscape. After years of being overshadowed by SaaS and fintech, **e-commerce is back in the spotlight** with venture capitalists showing renewed confidence in online retail ventures.

The resurgence isn't just about traditional online stores. We're seeing **innovative approaches** to e-commerce that combine technology, data analytics, and unique product offerings to create compelling consumer experiences.

## What's Driving the E-Commerce Renaissance?

Several factors are contributing to this unexpected revival:

- **Changing consumer behaviors** post-pandemic have created new opportunities
- **Advanced technology** has lowered barriers to entry for new e-commerce ventures
- **Supply chain innovations** are making direct-to-consumer models more viable
- **Data-driven personalization** is creating better customer experiences

Venture firms like Lerer Hippeau are betting that these **next-generation e-commerce companies** will be able to scale faster and more efficiently than their predecessors, thanks to lessons learned from previous e-commerce booms and busts.

Lately, venture capitalist Ben Lerer has found himself experiencing a bit of déjà vu: Once again, there’s a whole nest of thriving e-commerce startups worth his attention. When I reached him a couple weeks ago, his firm, Lerer Hippeau, was just putting money into two of them: Elm Biosciences, a ...

E-Commerce Startups Are Making a Surprising Comeback - Here's Why

**Shark Tank** star Kevin O'Leary acknowledged that President Donald Trump's tariffs are a headache and increase input costs, but said entrepreneurs have not only survived in similar environments but also thrived.

In a wide-ranging [interview with Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/06/shark-tank-kevin-oleary-trump-economy-interview-00595013) on Monday, he said entrepreneurs have endured trade wars, periods of sky-high interest rates, and a real-estate meltdown.

"In fact, the best time to start a business, proven by the statistics, is in chaos," O'Leary added. "Every time the American economy is going through some kind of a correction is a fantastic time to be an entrepreneur and start something. And then you have to figure out how to pivot through it."

According to [the Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/econ/bfs/pdf/bfs_current.pdf), business formations soared during the pandemic after falling in the immediate aftermath of lockdown and have been volatile since then, with several big spikes and sharp dives.

In August, the number of business applications rose 0.5% from the prior month, continuing an uptrend that began earlier this year despite a brief retreat that coincided with Trump's tariff rollout, which triggered chaos in financial markets as duties headed for the highest levels in nearly a century.

However, most of the recent gains have been concentrated in retail trade, while construction, administrative support, professional services, as well as transportation and warehousing, have been flat.

![Business Formation Chart](https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/business-formation-census-1010-25-e1760107364503.png?w=1440&q=85)

O'Leary added that the advent of **AI** has boosted productivity and contributed to the stock market hitting record highs.

"Every single one of my companies uses it today, and it's very productive. It helps enhance margins. It reduces costs in every sector of the economy," he explained.

For example, homebuilders are using AI to help allocate capital expenditures and labor. And while large companies like automakers are getting hit with higher costs, O'Leary said trade deals are getting worked out.

Deals with the European Union, Japan, and South Korea, for example, have lowered auto tariffs to 15% from 25%, while also committing them to hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. investments.

In such an environment, the key is to look past the politics and focus on the policies "so you can make radical investment decisions at minimal risk," O'Leary argued.

"If you look for the path of least resistance, you want to find big opportunities because of disruption," he explained. "You want to find something that has completely been dislocated and invest in that because of the policy changes."

Meanwhile, O'Leary also cautioned the Trump administration against its deal with [Intel](https://fortune.com/company/intel/), interfering with the Federal Reserve's independence, and the spillover effects of its H-1B visa policy on startups, which will have a harder time paying the proposed $100,000 fee than large companies.

O'Leary pointed out there's highly specialized talent that can't all be filled with domestic workers. And startups that hire AI engineers from abroad, for instance, gain a competitive advantage amid the global talent race.

"I don't think we want to take that away from American companies," he said. "So I would adjust this H-1B mandate for only large corporations at some size where they can afford it."

“If you look for the path of least resistance, you want to find big opportunities because of disruption.”

Kevin O'Leary Reveals Why Chaos Is the Perfect Time to Launch Your Startup

## The Digital Transformation of Farming

Farming may appear old-fashioned to many, but this perception hasn't been accurate for years. Tractors now steer themselves, software processes crop data, and agriculture ranks among the most technologically advanced industries.

Yet inside barns and homes, **many farmers**—especially those running smaller operations—still plan their seasons the old-fashioned way: with **notebooks and binders**.

Against this backdrop, Glencoe farmer **Matthew Fitzgerald** wondered if there might be a better way. His solution evolved into a business: **Farm Flow**, a digital planning platform now being tested by farmers in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Montana.

![Matthew Fitzgerald stands in front of the board he created to organize his farm business that inspired the farming organization app Farm Flow](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JDUZVIVYJRDVJEO4K3YR3WHYYI.jpg?&w=720)

"The goal of Farm Flow is to help farmers focus on farming and reduce all these stress points: paperwork, labor, inventory tracking," Fitzgerald said.

As farmers' finances become more complicated, the software might be arriving at the perfect time. Shrinking margins, rising input costs, and labor shortages have many farmers concerned about a looming **financial crisis**.

## From Family Farm to Startup Idea

Like most farmers, Fitzgerald, 34, spends long days juggling fieldwork with scheduling and paperwork. To keep everything organized, he purchased a **whiteboard**.

By the end of the season, it was covered in magnets and notes that kept the farm on track. "We had our best year ever," the second-generation grower said.

But staring at that board, he wondered if he could take it **digital**.

Now, instead of flipping through binders, he checks his phone for labor schedules and inventory.

In Claremont, Mark Oeltjenbruns relies on Farm Flow to manage records and planning after switching from conventional to organic farming—a move that came with far more paperwork requirements.

"I can have it inside my combine on the tablet," Oeltjenbruns said. "If I'm walking across the farmyard, I have it right on my cellphone... You don't have to write in the notebook. You don't have to get home to the home computer and put it in on your Excel spreadsheet. It's right there."

Fitzgerald believes Farm Flow could fill a **critical gap** between expensive heavy-duty accounting tools and paper lists.

"We're trying to bridge the knowledge gap without pricing out farmers," he said.

Fitzgerald competed this year in the **Minnesota Cup**, the state's largest entrepreneurial competition. Farm Flow didn't win prize money, but it was named a runner-up in its division.

For Fitzgerald, the contest was about more than cash. He wanted input and advice from people who know startups, he said.

Fitzgerald's mentors in the competition provided "robust feedback on how to think about the business model, taking it to the next level," he said.

![Matthew Fitzgerald explains the whiteboard he created to organize his farm business that inspired the farming organization app Farm Flow](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/BPZUVD6XZ5GHFDRNIJCI5CIG3Q.jpg?&w=720)

## Finding the Middle Ground

While farming uses automation, Fitzgerald said, "**60% or more of farmers still use pen and paper** as their primary planning tool."

The gap is real, especially among smaller operations, said Garen Paulson, an assistant Extension educator at the University of Minnesota.

Most of the 120 large commercial farms he works with through the Southwest Minnesota Farm Business Management Association have adopted digital planning, he said.

It took those large farms more than a **decade to switch over**, he said.

"The younger generation, they grew up with computers," Paulson said. "That being said, I have some 70- or 80-year-olds who are fantastic computer bookkeepers, and then I have some 20-year-olds who struggle."

![Matthew Fitzgerald demonstrates use of his farming organization app, Farm Flow](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ZGAUJ3GJJZADZBQXKHMPAOGUAE.jpg?&w=720)

Universities have tried to ease the digital shift. The U's Center for Farm Financial Management offers a suite of tools that help farmers analyze their past finances and project into the future, said Paulson.

But barriers remain. The **learning curve can be steep**, especially for farmers who would rather be outside than behind a computer.

"Most farmers don't really enjoy bookkeeping," Paulson said. "They'd rather be out in their fields, so we almost have to force them each month to sit down and do their record keeping to do it regularly. But we found that if you do that every month, it's a whole lot easier than trying to do six months at one time."

## The Future of Farm Planning

For Paulson, the story of agriculture's digital shift is really a story about **balance**. His father started farming with horses. By the time he retired, he had a tractor that steered itself.

"What's it going to be in my lifetime, in my son's lifetime?" Paulson said. "It will always be a balance between traditional and embracing new technology."

That calculation may determine whether tools like Farm Flow catch on.

Fitzgerald said Farm Flow will keep pursuing **grant support** while building a sustainable **subscription model**. He has also begun raising a **seed round** of private funding as well.

Meanwhile, his three-person, part-time team is already experimenting with new features, including an **AI chatbot**—"tiptoeing into AI," as he put it.

Another challenge is the right messaging. Fitzgerald said he needs potential customers to know he does not want to replace farming traditions. He wants to ease the stresses that overwhelm growers during the season.

"These practices have allowed our farm, a first-generation farm, to survive and grow," he said. "I want to help people find a different way."

Matthew Fitzgerald created the organization app to help farmers keep track of their planning. He found that many farmers are still using pen and paper to do bookkeeping. His system can save hours.

From Whiteboard to App: How One Farmer's Simple Hack Is Revolutionizing Agriculture Planning

## A $2 Billion Investment from NYSE Parent ICE Vaults Polymarket’s 27-Year-Old Founder Shayne Coplan into the Three-Comma Club and Intensifies Its Rivalry with Prediction Market Competitor Kalshi

At **27, Shayne Coplan** has become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. His estimated 11% stake in **Polymarket**, the blockchain-based prediction platform he founded in 2020, is now worth at least $1 billion. New York Stock Exchange parent company, **Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)**, announced it poured $2 billion into the firm at a $9 billion valuation—in exchange for a 20% stake, according to PitchBook.

The deal caps a meteoric ascent for Polymarket, which was valued at just $1.2 billion earlier this year and has quietly become **crypto’s fastest-growing startup**. “This is the fastest and largest valuation growth that we've seen in crypto,” says Rob Hadick, general partner at venture capital firm Dragonfly, which has invested in Polymarket.

Coplan also revealed two previously undisclosed funding rounds totaling $205 million that drew a billionaire-studded roster of backers: in addition to early investors Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia (net worth: $7.6 billion) and Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, the new rounds brought on Figma cofounder Dylan Field ($3.7 billion), Zynga cofounder Mark Pincus ($1.5 billion), Uber’s Travis Kalanick ($3.6 billion) and hedge fund veteran Glenn Dubin ($2.9 billion), as well as Peter Thiel’s ($26.5 billion) Founders Fund and Coinbase, cofounded and run by CEO Brian Armstrong ($16.2 billion). Even Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley became an angel investor in Polymarket last year.

Alongside its investment, ICE will become the “global distributor of Polymarket’s event-driven data” and has agreed “to partner on future tokenization initiatives,” helping bring **prediction markets and crypto into the financial mainstream**, according to a Tuesday press release. Polymarket and ICE declined to provide additional details but said they will be shared during ICE’s Q3 earnings call on October 30.

“Many hedge funds already use Polymarket odds as inputs into their models—now those odds will flow through institutional rails and gather even more liquidity and pricing signals,” says Dragonfly’s managing partner Haseeb Qureshi. “That's good for investors, and ultimately, for the information that we as citizens receive to understand the state of the world.”

Coplan launched Polymarket out of his New York City apartment in March 2020, at the height of the pandemic. A lifelong tinkerer who began experimenting with crypto at 14, he drew inspiration from early Ethereum-based prediction markets Augur and Gnosis, both of which never gained much traction. Qureshi, who was also an early backer of Augur, credits Polymarket with turning prediction markets from a niche experiment into a mainstream cultural phenomenon. “A big part of the reason why Polymarket has been successful where others have not is that they managed to [embrace] this behavior change and helped build the movement,” he says.

Coplan previously told *Forbes* that he founded Polymarket to be a “trusted information source,” particularly to solve the “rampant misinformation” around the pandemic. His first markets centered on Covid-related questions: when the city would reopen or whether a vaccine would be ready by a certain date. “We see CNN as the real incumbent to dethrone,” he added.

But Polymarket’s ascent over the last five years hasn’t come without turbulence. In January 2022, the company paid a $1.4 million fine to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for offering unregistered markets and was ordered to block U.S. users. Yet activity on Polymarket only accelerated, culminating in $3.6 billion of trading volume during the U.S. presidential election last year. A week after the election, the FBI raided Coplan’s apartment and seized his devices as part of an investigation into potential violations of the CFTC agreement.

In July 2025, the CFTC and the Department of Justice dropped their investigations, and a week later Polymarket announced its $112 million acquisition of QCX, a CFTC-licensed derivatives exchange, paving the way for a compliant domestic launch. In September, the CFTC greenlit the launch, just days after Donald Trump Jr. invested in and joined Polymarket’s advisory board through 1789 Capital, the venture firm where he is a partner. (Trump Jr. has also served as a strategic advisor to Polymarket’s main rival Kalshi since January.)

As regulation under the current administration has loosened in favor of prediction markets and crypto, Polymarket and Kalshi have been seizing the moment and deepening their ties to Washington. In addition to Trump Jr., ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher (net worth: $1.2 billion) and his wife Kelly Loeffler, a former ICE executive and head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, are also prominent Trump allies.

Alongside Polymarket, Kalshi had also been seeking a funding round and announced Friday it raised $300 million at a $5 billion valuation led by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Coinbase, comedian Kevin Hart and basketball player Kevin Durant, among others.

Though not blockchain-native like Polymarket, Kalshi has been making its own push into digital assets, recently hiring 23-year-old influencer John Wang as head of crypto. Kalshi pulled ahead in trading volume reaching $956 million last week versus Polymarket’s $465 million, according to Dune Analytics—driven largely by its sports markets, though Polymarket continues to dominate the politics category. However, it remains unclear how much of that activity translates into actual income for these platforms as Polymarket doesn’t charge fees on trades and both depend on market makers like Susquehanna International Group, which services Kalshi, to keep their markets liquid.

That dynamic could soon shift. Following the announcement on ICE’s investment, Coplan teased the potential launch of a Polymarket token in a post on X listing the largest cryptocurrencies alongside “$POLY 🤔.” Rumors of the token launch have circulated for months and could help Polymarket improve liquidity on the platform by giving traders and market makers new incentives to participate.

Reflecting on the company’s triumph after years of turmoil, Coplan signed off in an X post Tuesday: “The best is yet to come… Que Sera Sera.” *Whatever will be, will be.*

A $2 billion investment from NYSE parent ICE vaults Polymarket’s 27 year-old founder Shayne Coplan into the three-comma club and intensifies its rivalry with prediction market competitor Kalshi.

At 27, He's the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire: How Polymarket's Meteoric Rise Is Redefining Crypto

## How a Little-Known AI Startup Found Itself in the Middle of a Google Privacy Firestorm

![Sina Chehrazi, founder and CEO of Nayya.](https://i.insider.com/68e8397acc993f9955cfee5b?width=700)

Google's bet on an **AI startup** to streamline employee benefits quickly turned into a **privacy firestorm** on Wednesday. The company told staff they'd have to hand over personal data to healthcare startup **Nayya** to use their health benefits — a move that Nayya's CEO says is rare among its partners.

Google's initial data sharing requirements came from the **Big Tech giant**, not from the startup, Nayya's CEO Sina Chehrazi shared with Business Insider. Nearly every other business Nayya works with allows its employees to opt in to sharing different pieces of their personal data as they see fit, he said.

"We haven't really seen anything like this before. It's usually, go in and get as much help as you need," he said.

Founded in 2020, New York-based **Nayya** has raised over **$130 million** for its software that helps employees navigate their healthcare and financial benefits. Its backers include top HR management tech companies like **Workday** and **ADP**.

Google originally told US-based employees this month that they would need to give startup Nayya access to their personal data in order to access their health benefits, Business Insider reported Wednesday.

The announcement drew criticism from employees who worried about being forced to share private health data with a third-party company. Google's initial guidance suggested that workers who declined wouldn't be eligible for any health benefits.

Google updated its policy after BI's Wednesday story to state that employees can elect not to share their data with Nayya without their benefits enrollment being affected. The company told BI for this story that employees can simply not opt in to using Nayya if they don't want to share their data.

As AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT spread like wildfire, employees are increasingly sharing sensitive company information with the tech, often without realizing it. At the same time, employers, including Big Tech companies like **Meta**, **Microsoft**, and **Google**, are pushing employees to use AI in their day-to-day work — but sometimes mandating their usage at the cost of expanded data collection.

"The future of data is consent. We are only interested in helping the people who want the help, and only in the way that they'd like to get that help," Chehrazi said.

## The AI-Powered Health Benefits Play

Tech has been trying to provide better employee benefits navigation for years.

Nayya, like a number of its competitors, is now using **AI** to tailor benefits recommendations. Employees can give Nayya information about their health and lifestyle, and the startup will use that data to guide those employees to benefits they already have. The tech also keeps track of employees' existing benefits usage, like how much of their deductible has been met.

Nayya says it currently provides benefits navigation tech to over **1,000 employers**, from law firm Goodwin Procter to health system Bon Secours Mercy Health. Most of Nayya's contracts are with employers' systems of record, the benefits management software they already use, like Workday or ADP, Chehrazi said.

Nayya also contracts directly with some employers. While Google uses Workday to manage administrative tasks like payroll, it uses a different platform to manage its employee benefits called Benefitfocus, Chehrazi said. To connect to Benefitfocus, Nayya contracts directly with Google.

Google struck a direct contract this year with Nayya to help employees decide which benefits they should opt into during **open enrollment**, Nayya CEO Sina Chehrazi told BI. That integration leverages Nayya's benefits decision support platform rather than the startup's agentic AI.

More of Nayya's tools will be rolled out to Google employees in future months, Chehrazi said, such as technology that helps employees save money by pre-filling and submitting reimbursement forms.

Nayya says it helps employees save money, including by leading them to fully-covered health services to avoid surprise bills. The return-on-investment for employers is less direct. In theory, employees who can take better advantage of their health benefits will be healthier on average, creating fewer large costs for their employers. Chehrazi said in the longer term, Nayya can show employers which benefits they're paying for that employees aren't using to help those employers cut unnecessary services.

Health benefits navigation has previously been an unforgiving market. Many health benefits navigators are once-public companies that have since gone private after struggling on the public markets, like Castlight Health, or decade-old startups, like Included Health.

Chehrazi thinks Nayya is blazing its own path in part because of its focus on seamlessly connecting disparate data sources. The startup has certainly also benefited from its deep partnership with Workday, which has "phenomenal distribution," Chehrazi said.

He also sees fresh money-saving potential as Nayya's AI tools offer to take action on behalf of employees, such as filing reimbursement forms.

"That's the type of ROI that I don't think some of the V1 or the V2 navigators were as focused on," he said.

Google required its employees to give startup Nayya personal data to get access to their health benefits. That requirement didn't come from Nayya.

Coding Revolution: Cursor-Maker Anysphere Eyes $30 Billion Valuation in Game-Changing Investment Talks

Summary:

Anysphere's Meteoric Rise in AI-Powered Coding

What This Means for the Tech Industry

Key Drivers Behind the Valuation Spike

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E-Commerce Startups Are Making a Surprising Comeback - Here's Why

Kevin O'Leary Reveals Why Chaos Is the Perfect Time to Launch Your Startup

From Whiteboard to App: How One Farmer's Simple Hack Is Revolutionizing Agriculture Planning

At 27, He's the World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire: How Polymarket's Meteoric Rise Is Redefining Crypto

Google's AI Health Benefits Debacle: The Startup Caught in the Privacy Firestorm