Y Combinator-backed Motion raises fresh $38M to build the Microsoft Office of AI agents 

Motion, a fast-growing AI productivity startup backed by Y Combinator, has raised $38 million in Series C funding to expand its suite of AI-powered business agents. The company’s goal is ambitious: to build the “Microsoft Office of AI” for small and mid-sized businesses.

From Hedge Funds to AI Startup

Co-founder and CEO Harry Qi began his career as a high-earning quant at a hedge fund, making nearly $1 million annually by age 23. But financial success left him unfulfilled. “At some point you just want to make a much bigger impact on this world,” said Qi, now 29.

In 2019, Qi teamed up with his high school friend Omid Rooholfada and college classmate Ethan Yu to create an AI-powered scheduling and task management platform. They were accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2020 batch and left their finance jobs to pursue entrepreneurship. Later, Chander Ramesh joined as the fourth co-founder.

Explosive Growth in AI Productivity Tools

Motion’s growth accelerated in May when it launched an integrated AI agent bundle for small and mid-sized businesses. Within four months, the company reached 10,000 B2B customers and generated over $10 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).

The surge in demand attracted investors, resulting in a five-times oversubscribed Series C round led by Scale Venture Partners’ Stacey Bishop, alongside a preemptive C2 round that valued Motion at $550 million post-money. In total, Motion has raised $75 million, with backing from Y Combinator, HOF Capital, 468 Capital, SignalFire, Valor Equity Partners, Fellows Fund, Leonis Capital, and Apollo Projects, the fund created by Sam Altman’s brothers.

The Vision: Microsoft Office of AI Agents

Unlike standalone AI products, Motion is building a connected ecosystem of AI agents designed to work together. The suite currently includes:

• An executive assistant agent for scheduling, note-taking, and email replies
• A sales representative agent
• A customer support agent
• A marketing assistant for content and social media posts

The platform integrates with tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce, making it highly adaptable for SMB workflows.

Motion uses a credit-based pricing model, starting at $29 per month for a single seat and scaling up to $600 for 25 seats. Larger enterprises can request customized pricing plans.

Qi sees Motion as a full AI productivity suite. “There’s an opportunity here to build the next Microsoft,” he explained. “You basically have to build all the applications.”

A Founder’s Perspective

Although Qi admits leaving hedge funds was a financial sacrifice, he believes building Motion has been far more rewarding. “Every day, one of our customers tells me how Motion makes their lives easier, increases productivity, or drives revenue,” he said.

Despite the stress of leading an AI startup in a competitive market, Qi remains committed to creating long-term impact. His vision is clear: to build an enduring AI platform for businesses, just as Microsoft did with productivity software.