India-based biocoding startup Emergent is entering the OpenClaw-like AI agent space

EmergingAn Indian startup known for its emotion coding platform has been launched Wingmanan autonomous messaging-first AI agent, expands to include a growing category of software that runs in the background to complete tasks — made famous by tools like Anthropic’s OpenClaw and Cloud.

The Bengaluru-based startup initially gained attention for its coding platform, which competes with tools like Cursor and Replit and allows users without technical backgrounds to create full-stack apps via natural language prompts. With Wingman, Emergent is now pushing beyond creativity to execution, with the goal of allowing AI agents to handle routine tasks across tools and workflows.

“The obvious next step for us was: Can we help them not only build the program, but actually work more independently through it?” said Mukund Jha, Co-Founder and CEO of Emergent. “You’re moving from software that supports the business to software that can effectively help run it.”

Emergent said more than 8 million creators have used its crypto platform to build and publish software, with more than 1.5 million monthly active users. Founded in 2025, the startup It raised $70 million in January at a valuation of $300 million, with backing from investors including SoftBank, Khosla Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Wingman is designed to work through messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, allowing users to assign and monitor tasks through chat. Meanwhile, the agent runs in the background across connected tools like email, calendars, and workplace software. The startup said it can perform routine actions independently but seeks user approval for more important steps.

The launch comes as standalone AI agents It emerges as a major battlefield In this industry, an increasing number of companies are racing to build tools that can complete tasks on behalf of users. Projects like OpenClaw – formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot – has gained traction among early adopters, while gamers including Anthropic and Microsoft They are working to address this space with their agent-based systems.

Emergent is trying to differentiate by integrating Wingman into messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Apple’s iMessage, allowing users to interact with the agent via chat rather than adopting a new interface. The startup also introduced what it calls “trust boundaries,” enabling the agent to autonomously perform routine tasks while requiring user consent for more consequential actions. This is intended to address concerns regarding fully autonomous systems.

Jha told TechCrunch that the decision to build Wingman within messaging platforms was driven by how people already work. “A lot of the real work is actually done through chat, voice, and email — like requesting something, following up, sharing context, and making a decision,” Jha said. “And increasingly, these will be the main ways we work with agents as well.”

Like many emerging AI agents, Wingman still faces limitations. The system struggles “around consistency in really ambiguous situations, messy situations, unclear goals, or workflows that require a lot of human judgment,” Jha said.

Wingman is launching with a limited free trial, after which access will be paid, with existing Emergent users able to use the agent through their accounts.