PearAI founders Nang Ang and Duke Pan faced online backlash after releasing a proof-of-concept for their AI code editor on GitHub, which some accused of copying another open-source project, Continue. The young duo received hate and criticism from the open-source community, but instead of giving up, they modified their product idea to address concerns.
With the help of Y Combinator’s winter 2024 cohort, PearAI adapted its concept to create a framework that will curate AI coding tools. This framework will standardize multiple tool interfaces and enable them to communicate effectively with each other. The startup aims to make coding easier by integrating various AI-powered coding tools.
PearAI has successfully raised $1.25 million in seed funding, including YC’s standard deal of $375,000, from investors such as Goodwater Capital, Multimodal Ventures, Orange Fund, and Exitfund. Despite the initial controversy, Ang asserts that PearAI is committed to improving coding through AI.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/20/after-causing-outrage-on-the-first-day-of-y-combinator-ai-code-editor-pearai-lands-1m-seed