NFDG Backs Composite’s Cross-Browser Testing Tool

Many professionals spend hours each day on repetitive digital chores, from updating project trackers to compiling data reports. Composite, a new startup, aims to reclaim that lost time with a cross-browser automation tool designed specifically for workplace efficiency. Unlike AI browsers such as Perplexity’s Comet or Opera’s Neon, which operate within a single environment, Composite functions as a browser extension, allowing it to work across Chrome, Safari, and other platforms.

Founded earlier this year by Yang Fan Yun, a former Uber product manager, and Charlie Deane, who previously ran a server proxy company, Composite was born from observing widespread inefficiency. Yun noticed colleagues in marketing, sales, recruitment, and engineering bogged down by tedious browser-based tasks. He believed this manual work prevented them from applying their full expertise, sparking the idea for a tool to automate these processes easily.

The company recently secured $5.6 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross’s venture firm, NFDG, with additional participation from Menlo Ventures and Anthropic’s Anthology Fund.

Currently available for Mac users, Composite requires only a simple browser extension installation. Once set up, it enables users to issue commands across various web tools. For example, it can scan a Jira backlog for bugs using relevant documentation, post comments on high-priority items, and mark duplicate issues as resolved. The platform assists security engineers in creating vulnerability tickets from alerts, helps recruiters research candidates and draft personalized emails, and allows marketers to pull data from multiple sources to generate concise insight reports.

Yun points out that while other AI agents from companies like OpenAI and Perplexity focus on consumer activities such as shopping or booking tickets, Composite targets professional needs. He emphasizes that their tool is ideal for professionals seeking to streamline workflows without technical expertise. Composite excels at performing atomic actions like clicking website elements or typing in form fields, effectively completing jobs on the user’s behalf.

A significant advantage is that Composite’s agents operate within browsers where users are already logged into services, eliminating the need for separate connectors and enabling seamless operation across different websites. The tool already suggests tasks based on user behavior, and future development will focus on improved mechanisms for automatically surfacing tasks Composite can handle. The startup is also creating a feature to schedule recurring tasks.

Composite argues that its approach is better suited for professionals because it doesn’t require switching browsers, allows administrative controls to restrict tools, executes tasks locally, and lets users define which websites are off-limits.

The field of AI agents for professional work is highly competitive. Companies like OpenAI use their own browsers for actions, Notion leverages user context within its app combined with connectors, and General Catalyst-backed Highlight utilizes the entire desktop as context. Numerous other startups are focusing on narrower contexts, such as spreadsheets. Many of these companies are in early stages, and questions remain about the long-term efficiency of AI agents. While investors are eager to fund innovation, these startups must demonstrate substantial value to justify the investments.

Matt Kraning, a partner at Menlo Ventures, expresses strong confidence in Composite’s potential to distinguish itself. He found the tool highly intuitive for professionals without being overly technical. Kraning noted that Composite handles various modalities and sites effectively and is deliberately designed with professional use cases in mind, making it well-suited for individuals who manage numerous tasks daily across different functions.

(Source: TechCrunch)