Ando Launches AI-Native Messaging Platform to Replace Slack

The platform functions as a full-scale communication hub where agents participate in channels, join group conversations, and initiate contact with human colleagues independently. Unlike existing tools that treat AI as a bolt-on integration, Ando allows agents to monitor threads, analyze context, and synthesize information across multiple channels. Du noted that agents can proactively bridge disparate discussions, explaining issues and suggesting decisions without waiting for human prompts.

While Slack and Microsoft Teams are retrofitting their legacy platforms with AI features, Du argues that these incumbents are limited by architectures built for a pre-AI era. Ando recently secured $20 million in combined pre-seed and seed funding from Accel, Index Ventures, and Emergence to scale the platform. Currently, the service is deployed across software, real estate, and finance sectors in 15 countries. The startup plans to use the capital to expand its workforce and increase compute resources for its growing agent ecosystem, betting that small teams will soon achieve the output levels of much larger organizations.