Former Perplexity Engineer Launches Polar AI Browser for Knowledge Workers

Polar, a startup founded by a former Perplexity employee who worked on its Comet browser, has raised $5.7 million to build an AI-first browser focused on automating tasks for knowledge workers.

The seed round was led by Madrona and comes as the AI browser market shifts away from consumer-focused search experiences toward agents capable of performing work across websites.

AI browsers attracted significant attention in 2025 as technology companies attempted to integrate artificial intelligence directly into the primary interface people use to access the web. But the landscape has changed quickly. OpenAI’s Atlas browser has since disappeared, while Atlassian and its Dia browser, acquired from the Browser Company, have increasingly focused on productivity. Firefox attempted to balance its AI push by giving users the option to turn off the features, but the move still drew criticism.

Meanwhile, companies including Strawberry, Browser Use and Aside are developing more agent-oriented browser products. Perplexity’s Comet has also moved further toward browser agents and automation.

Polar targets knowledge work instead of consumers

Polar CEO Kevin Jiang, who previously worked on Comet at Perplexity, believes the first generation of AI browsers focused too heavily on changing how consumers searched the web or completing occasional tasks such as booking flights and restaurant reservations.

Those activities, Jiang argues, do not happen frequently enough to persuade most consumers to switch to an AI browser as their primary way of accessing the internet.

“There wasn’t a strong pull for mass consumers to go to an AI browser and find value in it,” Jiang said. “We’re focused on where we think browser agents are actually valuable, which is knowledge work.”

Polar allows users to schedule workflows, save frequently used prompts and assign tasks to AI agents based on tabs currently open in the browser.

The startup says the system is designed for non-technical users and can automate work across areas including sales, recruiting, marketing, research and business operations.

Polar wants to become an automation tool.

The browser is available for free and includes a limited number of daily credits that users can spend on AI-powered tasks. Subscription plans with higher usage limits begin at $20 per month.

Polar says many of its existing users do not currently treat the product as their main browser. Instead, they continue using another browser for everyday web activity while opening Polar specifically when they want to automate work.

The company ultimately wants to become an automation platform, and Jiang believes the browser is currently the most effective interface for accomplishing that goal. However, Polar is also open to eventually expanding into other approaches, including broader computer-use technology.

Browser access could give agents an advantage

Madrona partner Sabrina Albert said automating repetitive tasks for knowledge workers represents a large potential market, but creating reliable agents capable of operating across the open web remains technically difficult.

A browser-based approach can provide important advantages because it allows an AI system to understand how users interact with websites while operating within services where those users are already authenticated.

That access could allow browser agents to work directly with the tools employees already use instead of requiring separate integrations for every application.

In addition, Madrona Polar’s investments included those from former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, Phia founder Phoebe Gates, Modal CEO Erik Bernhard, Aeroplanes co-founder Benjamin Spector, Etched co-founder Rob Wachen and Fundamental Research Labs co-founder and CEO Robert Yang.

With AI browsers increasingly evolving into automation platforms, Polar is betting that the strongest demand will come not from consumers looking for another way to search the web, but from professionals seeking agents capable of completing everyday work inside it.