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April 8, 2026 • Sarah Perez

Poke: AI Agents Made Simple via Text

Poke: AI Agents Made Simple via Text Poke: AI Agents Made Simple via Text Poke: AI Agents Made Simple via Text

Poke Makes Using AI Agents as Easy as Sending a Text

Poke is a new startup aiming to democratize AI agents by making them accessible through familiar messaging platforms like iMessage, SMS, and Telegram. The service allows consumers to interact with a personal AI assistant that can perform tasks and automations without requiring complex setup, app installations, or technical expertise.

Core Functionality

  • Accessible Interface: Users can interact with Poke via text messages, making it as simple as sending a text.
  • Task Automation: Poke can handle everyday needs such as daily planning, calendar management, health and fitness tracking, smart home control, and photo editing.
  • Proactive Assistance: It can provide alerts for specific emails, remind users about weather conditions (e.g., needing an umbrella), send medication reminders, and offer daily news summaries.
  • User-Created Automations: Users can write their own automations in plain text and share them with others.

Key Features and Technology

  • No App Installation: Access is through Poke.com, requiring only a phone number for setup.
  • Multi-Model AI: Poke utilizes the most suitable AI model for each task, drawing from various providers and open-source options, offering flexibility beyond single-provider solutions.
  • Messaging Integration: Leverages Linq technology to operate seamlessly within messaging apps.
  • 'Recipes' for Automation: Offers pre-made tools (recipes) for various categories like health, productivity, finance, and developer workflows, designed to integrate with existing services (Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, etc.).
  • Developer Tools: Includes integrations for developers with tools like PostHog, Webflow, Supabase, Vercel, and GitHub.

Security and Privacy

  • Multi-layered Security: Employs regular penetration testing and security checks.
  • Limited Permissions: Both agents and human employees have restricted access.
  • User Control: Users can manually opt-in to share log files or analytics, with the team unable to access token data by default.

Business Model and Vision

  • Funding: Backed by Spark Capital and General Catalyst, with a recent $10 million funding round, valuing the company at $300 million.
  • Pricing: Free to start, with flexible pricing based on usage. Tasks not requiring real-time data may be free, while real-time inference incurs costs. Personalized pricing is determined by the AI agent based on task expense.
  • Growth Focus: The primary goal is rapid user growth and product adoption, with monetization being a secondary concern.
  • Community Driven: Encourages user-created recipes and automations, with a plan to feature them in a directory and offer creator rewards.

Market Context

Poke enters a market with increasing demand for AI agents, following trends set by platforms like OpenClaw and Nvidia's enterprise solutions. Its approach focuses on simplifying access for non-technical users, differentiating it from more complex, developer-centric tools.