AI Startup Fundamental Research Labs Secures $33M to Advance Digital Agents
Raising over $30 million in new funding, Fundamental Research Labs is making serious waves in the artificial intelligence space by developing AI agents for real-world use across multiple sectors. The applied AI company, formerly known as Altera, closed a $33 million Series A round led by Prosus, with participation from notable tech figures like Stripe CEO Patrick Collison. Positioned as a multidisciplinary lab focused on building practical digital humans, Fundamental Research Labs is taking a unique, vertical-agnostic approach—blending academic rigor with startup speed. Whether it’s AI companions for gamers or productivity tools for analysts, the company is already charging customers, proving there’s tangible demand for its intelligent agents.
Image Credits:Fundamental Research Labs
AI Agents Across Multiple Verticals: How Fundamental Research Labs Stands Out
Rather than focusing on a single niche, Fundamental Research Labs is developing AI agents across diverse verticals—gaming, productivity, research, and prosumer applications. The company is structured more like a research institute than a conventional startup, with dedicated teams for core research, product platforms, gaming, and prosumer development. This multi-team format allows it to iterate rapidly, test new AI use cases, and integrate feedback from multiple domains. One of the earliest and most intriguing experiments from the lab was a Minecraft-playing AI bot, designed to play cooperatively with users. That playful start laid the groundwork for deeper, more robust applications that now include AI tools meant to operate at a human-assistant level.
This strategic structure helps Fundamental Research Labs maintain a long-term vision: becoming a “historical company,” according to founder Dr. Robert Yang, a former MIT faculty member. Instead of merely chasing trends, the lab is building infrastructure and agents that can evolve over time—responding not just to what’s possible with current AI models but also to how humans will work and interact with software in the future.
Fairies and Shortcut: AI Tools That Deliver Practical Value
Fundamental Research Labs currently offers two flagship AI products: Fairies and Shortcut. Fairies is a general-purpose assistant aimed at prosumer users, letting them interact with an AI across applications. Whether it’s answering questions about connected apps, scheduling tasks, or setting up recurring workflows, Fairies functions like a next-gen productivity assistant. Unlike many AI chatbots that focus on natural conversation alone, Fairies emphasizes task completion and real-world integration—essential for proving the effectiveness of its underlying models.
Shortcut, on the other hand, is targeted more toward analysts and enterprise use cases. It mimics the interface and utility of a spreadsheet platform like Microsoft Excel, but with built-in AI intelligence that allows it to act as a junior analyst. It can build financial models, run simulations, and even derive insights with minimal human input. This functionality brings AI closer to being an autonomous co-worker rather than just a tool. The best part? Shortcut retains the features that Excel power users love, meaning minimal disruption in onboarding while still reaping the benefits of automation.
Why Investors and AI Enthusiasts Are Watching Fundamental Research Labs
What makes Fundamental Research Labs truly compelling to investors isn’t just its products—it’s the lab’s underlying vision and ability to execute. With digital humans and autonomous agents becoming more feasible, there’s increasing demand for AI systems that can operate independently across tasks. The startup’s Fairies and Shortcut agents aren’t just demos—they are revenue-generating products being used by real customers.
Investors like Prosus and Patrick Collison recognize the potential of a lean, mission-driven team creating scalable AI solutions without following the traditional SaaS playbook. Instead of packaging narrow models into single-use apps, Fundamental Research Labs is investing in flexible, multimodal platforms that adapt to different domains. This capability is particularly important in 2025’s AI landscape, where helpful content, practical applications, and user experience matter more than pure model size or novelty.
With its Series A secured, the company is poised to accelerate development and expand its lineup of intelligent agents. That means we can expect more innovations across enterprise, creative, and consumer tools—driven by a foundational belief in building AI that works with people, not just for them.
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