Poke, an AI agent accessible via text message, has launched publicly and secured a landmark approval to operate on Apple's Messages for Business platform—becoming the first standalone third-party AI agent permitted on that service.
The Interaction Company of California has announced the public launch of Poke, an artificial intelligence agent accessible via text message. The startup has also secured approval to operate on Apple's Messages for Business platform, making it the first standalone third-party AI agent permitted on that service. Concurrently, the company has reported a total of $25 million in funding, achieving a post-money valuation of $300 million.
Product Capabilities and Accessibility
Poke, which launched in March 2025, is designed to perform a range of tasks through text-based interaction. Users can access the service for daily planning, calendar management, health and fitness tracking, smart home control, and photo editing. The platform also offers custom automations, referred to as "recipes," which users can create and share via plain text. These automations can handle tasks such as email alerts, weather reminders, medication notifications, and news summaries.
The service operates over SMS, Telegram, and, in specific markets, WhatsApp. Following its approval, Poke will also be available via Apple's iMessage for Business. To begin using the service, users visit the company's website and enter a phone number; no application download or software installation is required.
Apple Messages for Business Approval
Apple verified that Poke could provide live support if necessary and that the AI agent is clearly identified as such during interactions. Poke submitted testimonies from its messaging providers and adapted its user interface to comply with Apple's guidelines. This included displaying link previews instead of inline links and adhering to Apple's style guide for interface elements and buttons. The approval process spanned several months.
Under the agreement, Poke will pay Apple on a per-user basis. The exact pricing was not disclosed, but the arrangement represents a new revenue stream for Apple and a distribution cost for AI agent developers.
Company Background and Funding
The Interaction Company of California, based in Palo Alto, was co-founded by Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel. The startup reported total funding of $25 million, consisting of a $15 million seed round from the previous year and a recent $10 million addition. The post-money valuation is $300 million. Investors include Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and angel investors John and Patrick Collison (Stripe), Logan Kilpatrick (DeepMind), and Joanne Jang (OpenAI). The company has 10 employees.
Technology and Integration
Poke utilizes a variety of AI models, selecting from major providers and open-source options based on the specific task. Integration with messaging apps is facilitated through Linq. The platform offers pre-made "recipes" across categories including health and wellness, productivity, finance, and smart home management. These recipes integrate with external applications and services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Strava, Withings, Philips Hue, and Sonos. Developer tools including PostHog, Webflow, and GitHub are also supported for workflow automation.
Security and Privacy
The company reports implementing a multi-layered security model, including regular penetration testing and security checks. Permissions for both the AI agent and human employees are limited. By default, the team does not view user data unless explicit consent is given by the user to share log files or analytics.
Business Model and Growth
Poke operates on a flexible pricing model. The initial use is free, with charges applied for tasks requiring real-time inference, such as continuous email automations. The company stated that its immediate objective is growth and widespread adoption rather than immediate profitability. Poke has reported that its user numbers have increased tenfold in recent months.