The Interaction Company of California is a technology company.
The Interaction Company of California has raised $15.0M across 1 funding round.
The Interaction Company of California has raised $15.0M in total across 1 funding round.
The Interaction Company of California has raised $15.0M in total across 1 funding round.
The Interaction Company of California's investors include 10100, 8VC, Adverb Ventures, Alchemy Ventures, Anti fund, BoxGroup, Contrary Capital, Foundation Capital, Founders Fund, Fuel Capital, General Atlantic, General Catalyst.
The Interaction Company of California is a technology startup focused on building advanced AI-driven communication tools. Its flagship product, Poke.com, is a messaging-first AI assistant that integrates seamlessly into popular messaging platforms like iMessage, WhatsApp, and SMS. Poke acts as a personal digital assistant by connecting to users’ emails, calendars, and files to anticipate needs and perform tasks such as drafting replies, managing invoices, rescheduling meetings, and booking travel—all through simple text conversations. This approach solves the problem of fragmented digital workflows and the overload of notifications by embedding AI assistance directly into everyday communication channels, eliminating the need for users to learn new interfaces or switch apps. The company has demonstrated strong growth momentum, having launched publicly with $15 million in seed funding led by General Catalyst and other prominent investors[3][4][5].
Founded in 2024 by Marvin von Hagen and Felix M. Schlegel, The Interaction Company of California emerged from the founders’ extensive backgrounds in AI research and systems engineering at prestigious institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge, as well as experience at Tesla and Apple. Before founding Interaction, they led a large engineering team that won SpaceX’s Not-a-Boring Competition by building a tunnel boring machine. The idea for Interaction evolved from an initial focus on email automation to a broader vision of creating an AI assistant that lives inside messaging platforms, reflecting user feedback that people prefer not to adopt new apps but want AI assistance integrated into the tools they already use daily. Early traction included assembling a team of engineers from top tech companies and securing significant seed investment[3][4].
The Interaction Company of California is riding the wave of AI integration into everyday workflows, particularly the trend toward conversational AI and digital assistants that reduce cognitive overload. The timing is critical as users face increasing fragmentation across communication and productivity tools, creating demand for seamless, context-aware AI that operates within familiar platforms. Market forces such as the rise of AI-powered productivity tools, growing acceptance of AI in personal and professional communication, and advances in natural language processing favor Interaction’s approach. By embedding AI directly into messaging apps, Interaction influences the broader ecosystem by setting a new standard for how AI assistants can be both accessible and deeply integrated, potentially reshaping digital communication norms[4][5].
Looking ahead, The Interaction Company of California is poised to expand Poke’s capabilities and user base, potentially integrating with more platforms and enhancing AI sophistication to cover broader aspects of personal and professional life management. Trends such as increasing AI adoption, demand for privacy-conscious solutions, and the shift toward conversational interfaces will shape their journey. Their influence may grow as they pioneer a new category of AI assistants that blend invisibly into daily communication, reducing friction and improving productivity. This aligns with their founding vision of transforming how humans interact with technology by making AI a natural extension of everyday conversations[4][5].
The Interaction Company of California has raised $15.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Seed in September 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2025 | $15.0M Seed | 10100, 8VC, Adverb Ventures, Alchemy Ventures, Anti fund, BoxGroup, Contrary Capital, Foundation Capital, Founders Fund, Fuel Capital, General Atlantic, General Catalyst, Giant Ventures, Green Bay Ventures, Greylock, Khosla Ventures, LGF, Lux Capital, Menlo Ventures, Paradigm, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, Predictive VC, Sequoia Capital, SignalFire, Signia Venture Partners, Soma Capital, Stellar Capital, Susquehanna Capital, SV Angel, The House Fund, Thrive Capital, Venture Highway, WndrCo LLC, Y Combinator, Bradley Horowitz, Chafic Kazoun, Cory Levy, Drew Houston, Dylan Field, Guillermo Rauch, John Collison, Ken Howery, Kulveer Taggar, Lisa Dolan, Mark Pincus, Patrick Collison, Saki Georgiadis, Scott Belsky, Shishir Mehrotra, Teddy Citrin |