Crustdata, a startup aiming to build the foundational data layer for the burgeoning AI agent economy, has closed a $6 million seed round. The investment, led by Y Combinator and A Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, SV Angel, and Phosphor Capital, signals a significant bet on the future where AI agents, not humans, become the primary consumers of web data.
The core problem Crustdata addresses is simple: AI agents can't effectively operate on data designed for human consumption. Traditional web data, often updated monthly or quarterly with clunky schemas, simply isn't fresh, structured, or real-time enough for autonomous AI systems. Crustdata's platform tackles this by deploying real-time crawlers that index the web, providing AI agents with dynamic, verifiable data on companies and people. This allows agents to catch critical signals – from emerging prospects to recruiting candidates – before they become widely known.
Y Combinator, which led this Crustdata seed round, isn't just an investor; they're a customer. Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, lauded Crustdata as "one of the strongest companies to come out of the Fall 2024 YC batch." He added, "Very soon, humans will no longer be the largest consumers of the web. Crustdata will be the gateway to the internet for agentic apps." YC itself uses Crustdata to source and recruit startups for its own cohorts, a powerful endorsement of the product's efficacy.
Why AI Agents Need a New Internet
Crustdata's growth story is as compelling as its technology. A graduate of Y Combinator's Fall 2024 cohort, the company scaled its revenue from $770,000 to over $4 million in just seven months. This impressive trajectory was achieved with zero outbound marketing spend and a sales team of one, a testament to their "dogfooding" strategy – using their own product to identify and engage customers. This self-sustaining growth model allowed them to reach profitability in record time.
Beyond YC, Crustdata's real-time data APIs are already powering over 200 AI agents and platforms. Notable adopters include Dharmesh Shah's popular product, agent.ai, and Ryan Reynolds' company MNTN, which leverages Crustdata to arm its sales team with customized, automated AI SDRs for pipeline building.
The founding team behind Crustdata is a blend of diverse expertise. Co-founders Abhilash Chowdhary and Chris Pisarski met through YC's co-founder matching tool in 2023, later joined by Manmohit Grewal. Chowdhary previously led engineering for Uber/Postmates' robotics platform, while Pisarski was CEO of PrivCo, a leading private company database. This combination of deep AI infrastructure and B2B data experience positions them uniquely.
"AI Agents are only as intelligent as their data sources," said Abhilash Chowdhary, co-founder and CEO of Crustdata. "Our next phase involves expanding to enterprise customers who need AI agents that can act on fresh, accurate data in real-time." The new capital from this Crustdata seed round will be deployed to hire top engineers focused on the "data-for-agents problem" and to build out their go-to-market team, according to co-founder Chris Pisarski. As AI agents become increasingly sophisticated, Crustdata aims to be the invisible, yet indispensable, backbone of their intelligence.
