Perplexity employee who worked on Comet launches an AI browser aimed at knowledge work
A new startup called Polar has raised $5.7 million to develop an AI-first browser specifically designed for knowledge workers. Unlike previous AI browsers that focused on mass-market search, Polar aims to automate workflows and tasks for professional users.
Why it matters
This represents a pivot in the AI browser market from general consumer search tools to specialized productivity agents for enterprise and professional use.
AI browsers were all the rage in 2025. Companies large and small tried to build browsers that baked in AI in an effort to own the interface people use to browse the internet.
How the turns have tabled. Today, OpenAI’s Atlas is history, and The Browser Company sold to Atlassian, with its Dia browser now focusing on productivity use cases. Firefox tried to strike a balance in its own AI efforts by providing an off-switch , but it got shouted at anyway.
This year, the focus has shifted to agents and automation. Startups like Strawberry, Browser Use, and Aside are building browsers with an agentic slant, and even Perplexity’s Comet has moved towards providing browser agents.
Amid this change, a startup called Polar has come out with an AI-first browser aimed at knowledge workers, and it has now raised a $5.7 million seed round led by Madrona.
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