David Petrou is an acclaimed engineer who made notable contributions to Google Goggles and Google Glass. He’s taken that experience and wisdom to build something really exciting with his new venture, Continua. This groundbreaking startup of only seven employees has just closed an $8 million round of seed funding. They hope to use this funding to move AI into the center of these group chat experiences. The announcement was made during a transportation innovation event the City is co-hosting with Z私の資金 on October 27-29, 2025.
Continuas goal is to make multiagency group chats more effective by reducing the madness. Its proprietary AI agents proactively participate in discussions, providing relevant and beneficial information only when it’s really required. Petrou has just departed his former firm after more than 17 years on the job. His rationale for introducing LLMs into multi-participant conversations is a difficult technical challenge.
“You want the agent to have social intelligence,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of the AI’s ability to navigate human interactions effectively. He encountered incredible political obstacles to make this vision a reality. In fact, he joked that he needed to “break the LLM’s brain” to have it naturally fit into conversations.
The idea behind Continua is to make it easier for LLMs to be present to everyday small group discussions. Petrou explained, “The simple way to think about it is that we’re bringing the power of LLMs to group chats.” He envisions scenarios where AI can assist users in planning trips, deciding on dinner options, or selecting movies, thereby streamlining group decision-making processes.
Erik Nordlander, a general partner at GV, was one of the first investors in Petrou personally — before Continua’s concept even coalesced. He praised Petrou’s expertise and foresight, stating, “David is a really brilliant engineer, someone who’s been working with AI since before it was the hot thing.” Nordlander noted that Continua has multiple avenues toward profitability. This has the potential to make it a kingmaker in the tech realm.
Continua is also preparing to release its AI agents. This mission project grows the team’s ambition to reimagine how we communicate in shared spaces. By making conversations more efficient, productive and meaningful, it aims to solve repeated pitfalls often felt in digital communication.
The $8 million seed investment will support development and deployment of Continua’s technology. The startup is hellbent on staying focused on its unique place in the crowded AI Solutions Universe. Petrou’s vision leans heavily toward social intelligence and user-friendliness. We think this is a monumental step in revolutionizing chatrooms for everyone—every user in every country.