India's Emergent launches AI agent platform OpenClaw

Emergent, an Indian startup known for its vibe-coding platform, has launched Wingman, a messaging-first autonomous AI agent. This move expands its reach into the growing category of background software that automates tasks, a field popularized by tools like OpenClaw and Anthropic's Claude.

The Bengaluru-based company first made waves with its vibe-coding platform, which rivals products like Cursor and Replit by enabling non-technical users to build full-stack applications using natural language prompts. With Wingman, Emergent is shifting focus from creation to execution, aiming to have AI agents manage routine tasks across various tools and workflows.

“The natural progression for us was to ask: can we help users not only build software but also operate more autonomously with it?” explained Mukund Jha, co-founder and CEO of Emergent. “It’s about evolving from software that supports a business to software that actively helps run it.”

Emergent reports that over 8 million creators have used its vibe-coding platform to build and deploy software, with more than 1.5 million monthly active users. Founded in 2025, the startup secured $70 million in funding this January, reaching a $300 million valuation. Investors include SoftBank, Khosla Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Image Credits: Emergent (screenshot)

Wingman is built to function within messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, letting users assign and track tasks through chat. Simultaneously, the agent works in the background across connected services such as email, calendars, and workplace software. It can perform routine actions independently but will request user approval for more significant steps, according to the company.

This launch coincides with the rise of autonomous AI agents as a major industry focus, with numerous companies developing tools that can complete tasks on a user's behalf. Projects like OpenClaw — formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot — have gained early-adopter traction, while firms including Anthropic and Microsoft are advancing their own agent-based systems in this space.

Emergent aims to stand out by integrating Wingman directly into popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Apple iMessage. This allows users to interact with the agent through familiar chat interfaces rather than learning a new system. The startup has also implemented "trust boundaries," a feature that lets the agent handle routine tasks autonomously while requiring user consent for higher-stakes actions. This approach is designed to alleviate concerns about fully autonomous systems.

Jha told TechCrunch that the choice to build Wingman for messaging platforms was inspired by existing work habits. “Much of real work already flows through chat, voice, and email — requesting updates, sharing context, making decisions,” Jha said. “Increasingly, these will also be the primary ways we collaborate with AI agents.”

Like many emerging AI agents, Wingman still has limitations. Jha noted the system can struggle with “consistency in highly ambiguous scenarios, messy edge cases, unclear objectives, or workflows that require substantial human judgment.”

Wingman is being introduced with a limited free trial, after which it will become a paid service. Existing Emergent users will be able to access the agent through their current accounts.