India’s vibe-coding startup Emergent enters OpenClaw-like AI agent space

Emergent, an Indian startup known for its vibe-coding platform, has launched “Wingman,” a messaging-first autonomous AI agent, arsenic it expands into a increasing class of bundle that runs successful the inheritance to implicit tasks — popularized by tools similar OpenClaw and Claude from Anthropic.

The Bengaluru-based startup initially gained attraction for its alleged “vibe-coding” platform, which competes with tools similar Cursor and Replit and lets users without method backgrounds physique full-stack applications via natural-language prompts. With Wingman, Emergent is present pushing beyond instauration into execution, aiming to fto AI agents grip regular tasks crossed tools and workflows.

“The evident adjacent measurement for america was, tin we assistance them not conscionable physique the software, but really run much autonomously done it?” said Mukund Jha, co-founder and CEO of Emergent. “You determination from bundle that supports the concern to bundle that tin actively assistance tally it.”

Emergent said much than 8 cardinal builders person utilized its vibe-coding level to make and deploy software, with implicit 1.5 cardinal monthly progressive users. Founded successful 2025, the startup raised $70 million successful January astatine a valuation of $300 million, with backing from investors including SoftBank, Khosla Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

ScreenshotImage Credits:Emergent

Wingman is designed to run done messaging platforms similar WhatsApp and Telegram, allowing users to delegate and show tasks done chat. At the aforesaid time, the cause runs successful the inheritance crossed connected tools specified arsenic email, calendars, and workplace software. It tin transportation retired regular actions autonomously but seeks idiosyncratic support for much consequential steps, the startup said.

The motorboat comes arsenic autonomous AI agents emerge arsenic a cardinal battleground successful the industry, with a increasing fig of companies racing to physique tools that tin implicit tasks connected behalf of users. Projects similar OpenClaw — antecedently known arsenic Clawdbot and Moltbot — person gained traction among aboriginal adopters, portion players including Anthropic and Microsoft are moving toward addressing this abstraction with their ain agent-based systems.

Emergent is attempting to differentiate by embedding Wingman into messaging platforms specified arsenic WhatsApp, Telegram, and Apple’s iMessage, allowing users to interact with the cause via chat alternatively than adopting a caller interface. The startup besides introduced what it calls “trust boundaries,” enabling the cause to transportation retired regular tasks autonomously portion requiring idiosyncratic support for much consequential actions. This aims to code concerns astir afloat autonomous systems.

Jha told TechCrunch the determination to physique Wingman wrong messaging platforms was driven by however radical already work. “A batch of existent enactment already happens done chat, voice, and email — asking for something, pursuing up, sharing context, making a decision,” Jha said. “Increasingly, they’ll beryllium the main ways we enactment with agents too.”

Like galore emerging AI agents, Wingman inactive faces limitations. Jha said the strategy struggles “around consistency successful truly ambiguous situations, messy borderline cases, unclear goals, oregon workflows wherever a batch of quality judgement is needed.”

Wingman is being rolled retired with a constricted escaped trial, aft which entree volition beryllium paid, with existing Emergent users capable to usage the cause done their accounts.