TechCrunch Startup News Humans&, a ‘human-centric’ AI startup, raised $480M seed round; plus, Grubhub parent acquires restaurant rewards startup Claim
Jan 20, 2026
A startup focused on 'human-centric' AI raised an astonishing $480 million seed round, emphasizing collaboration over replacement. Major backers include former tech elite, hinting at a trend in AI innovation. Meanwhile, Grubhub's acquisition of Claim introduces robust customer rewards tools for restaurants, promising cost-saving benefits for both merchants and diners. Expect exciting changes in user experiences as the platform integrates new features, enhancing engagement in the food delivery space.
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Human-Centric AI At Massive Scale
- Humans& raised a $480M seed at a $4.48B valuation, reflecting major investor enthusiasm for human-centric AI.
- The startup focuses on collaboration, memory, and multi-agent learning to augment human teams rather than replace them.
Founders And Team Come From Top Labs
- Founders include ex-Anthropic, Google, and Stanford academics who worked on Claude and early Google ads.
- The 20-odd person team also includes engineers from OpenAI, Meta, Reflection, AI2, and MIT.
Rethinking Model Training And Memory
- Humans& aims to rethink model training with long-horizon and multi-agent reinforcement learning and better memory.
- They emphasize tightly integrated science and product work to strengthen organizations and communities.