Spotlight

What if repetitive browser tasks in regulated industries could be automated without expensive enterprise software?

Quick Pitch: Asteroid turns repetitive browser tasks into reliable agents, cutting 45-minute workflows down to 2 minutes. It brings automation to startups and SMEs in regulated sectors—without the high cost or maintenance burden.

The Problem

• Automation Gap: Traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools cost $10K+ per use case—out of reach for most startups.

• Maintenance Headache: Open-source tools like Selenium break often and demand constant upkeep.

• Compliance Pressure: Regulated sectors need precision and reliability, but current solutions are either brittle or overpriced.

Snapshot

• Industry: Browser Automation for Regulated Industries

• Headquarters: San Francisco, California

• Year Founded: 2024 (YC W25)

• Traction: $4.5k MRR with 60+ demos scheduled in first week

Founder Profiles

• Joe Hewett, Co-Founder, CTO: Built fraud-detection AI that stopped $300M+ in fraud at Netcraft

• David Mlčoch, Co-Founder, CEO:  Built fraud investigation agents at multiple fintechs

Funding

• Current Round: Raising ($2M Seed)

• Investors: Y Combinator, Entrepreneur First, Transpose Platform

• Other Backers: Sequoia Scout, Kulveer Taggar (Meetings.io, Zesty), Shawn Wang (ex-Google)

Revenue Engine

• Vertical GTM: Starts with insurance brokers; expands to healthcare and finance

• APIs + Web UI: Accessible to both technical and non-technical users

• Future Add-ons: Compliance and auditing tools

What Users Love

• Show → Automate: Upload a screen recording, SOP, or plain text to get an agent

• API-First: Trigger with one call—no scripts required

• Safeguards: Set logic rules like “never click this button”

• Human-in-the-Loop: Escalates edge cases to manual review

• Self-Healing Agents: Adapt to UI changes over time

Playing Field

• Legacy RPA: UiPath, Automation Anywhere—costly, enterprise-first

• Open Source: Selenium, Playwright—powerful but fragile and dev-heavy

• Emerging AI Tools: General-purpose agents, not built for compliance

Why It Matters

Regulated industries waste over $100B annually on manual browser work—too complex for off-the-shelf automation, too costly for humans. As AI matures, the demand for stable, adaptable automation is accelerating.

What Sets Them Apart

• Agentic Automation: Fully-managed browser workflows that evolve over time

• Regulated Focus: Prioritizing industries that need bulletproof reliability

• Low-Code / No-Code: Empowers ops teams, not just engineers

• Founder Fit: Proven execution in AI, fraud detection, and automation

Analysis

Bulls Case 📈 

• Tailwinds: AI, automation, and computing costs converging

• Strong early demand: 60+ demos booked

• Sticky use cases in compliance-heavy workflows

• Solid team with prior wins in AI automation

• Clear wedge → expand motion with high ROI for customers

Bears Case 📉 

• Competes indirectly with deep-pocketed RPA incumbents

• Workflow variability across sectors may pose scaling challenges

• Risk-averse customers need to trust AI-driven automation

• Balancing innovation with compliance remains critical

Verdict

Asteroid is making a focused bet on browser agents as the next layer of automation infrastructure. Regulated industries are stuck with legacy portals and manual workflows that existing tools either can't automate or do so unreliably. The early traction in insurance shows there's real demand for tools that reduce manual effort without introducing new risk. The challenge will be maintaining agent performance at scale, adapting to diverse verticals, and ensuring reliability as browser environments shift over time.

The Startup Pulse

• Sprinter Health — Raised $55M to scale at-home care services. ARR up 6x.

• Bestow — Secured $120M Series D to expand Insurtech software and go global.

• Harvey AI — T Raising $250M at a $5B valuation (up from $3B). Part of a legaltech wave modernizing law firms. Revenue up 50% to $75M ARR. Backed by Kleiner, Coatue, Sequoia.

Job at Asteroid

Founding AI Engineer

Written by Ashher

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