Linq, a Birmingham, Alabama-based startup building a communications layer for AI agents, has raised a $20 million Series A round led by TQ Ventures, with participation from Mucker Capital and angel investors, including a former Apple and Google executive.
The company sells communication APIs that enable AI agents and businesses to reach users via iMessage, SMS, RCS, and voice, aiming to reduce friction by avoiding the need to download another app. Linq said it expects its platform to send billions of messages this year as more teams shift toward agents that operate inside the channels people already use every day.
Linq positions its platform as an alternative to legacy SMS centric workflows, arguing that older rails can be costly and slow while also producing an experience that feels less native to users. By enabling iMessage alongside RCS, SMS, and voice, Linq says AI agents can engage more naturally with features like group chats, typing indicators, images, voice notes, and emoji reactions.
The company claims its platform is priced about 90% below legacy communications API providers and is already used by more than 100 customers, including Poke.com, Tomo, and Hypercard. Linq said its customers are collectively sending more than 30 million messages per month through the platform.
The new funding will be used to scale the platform and expand engineering, product, and go-to-market teams, the company said.
Linq was founded by former Shipt executives Elliott Potter, Patrick Sullivan, and Jared Mattsson. The founders previously helped scale Shipt’s same-day delivery service before Target acquired the business for $550 million. Linq said it originally started as a digital business card and CRM automation product, then shifted toward messaging automation as demand grew for agent-driven communication inside text threads.
Linq said it is SOC 2 Type II certified and partners with a major U.S. cellular network for carrier integration.
KEY QUOTES
“We looked at all of the top communication API platforms, and nothing came close to the reliability and security compliance of Linq.”
Samyok Nepal, Member Of Technical Staff, The Interaction Company Of California
“Every team we talked to that was building an AI agent had the same problem: they couldn’t get users to download another app. By living in users’ text threads, developers aren’t limited by who downloads their app. Anyone in the world with a phone can instantly become a user.”
Elliott Potter, Co Founder And CEO, Linq
“By making AI-to-human communication as frictionless as texting a friend, Linq is enabling an entirely new category of companies. Linq’s founding team is extraordinary, and we have no doubt in their ability to execute on this massive opportunity.”
Andrew Marks, Co Founding Partner, TQ Ventures
“We backed Linq because they’re removing friction at the exact point where AI meets people. When communication becomes easier, whole new markets open up. Linq sits at that intersection.”
Omar Hamoui, Partner, Mucker Capital; Founder, AdMob
