Mixus launched a new AI agent platform aimed at putting humans back in the workflow. The startup lets users create and manage AI agents directly from email or Slack.
The platform beta-launched from Stanford late 2024 and has already raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding. Early customers include Rainbow Shops and firms in finance and tech.
Co-founder Elliot Katz told TechCrunch that Mixus meets workers “where they are today” — mainly email. Users can create agents with simple text prompts that run tasks like checking Jira for overdue issues, drafting emails, and scheduling reports automatically. 
“We’re meeting customers where they are today,” Elliot Katz said.
“Where is every person in the workforce today? For the most part, they’re on email. And so because we can do this through email, we believe that’s a way we can democratize access [to agents].”
Mixus stands out by letting agents operate with optional human oversight. Users can decide when agents run autonomously and when they should get approval. This flexibility is crucial, since experts like Andrej Karpathy and Ali Ghodsi emphasize humans must stay in the loop for AI agents to work reliably.
“We enable colleague oversight. We don’t mandate colleague oversight,” Katz said.
Agents can tag colleagues in chat or email to collaborate on tasks in real time. Mixus’s “Spaces” feature stores shared memory for teams, allowing agents to access relevant info across people and files — something major AI platforms have yet to fully support.
The platform uses Anthropic’s Claude 4 and OpenAI’s latest models with web access for live updates and research. Agents can integrate with tools like Gmail and Jira, edit documents inline, and run scheduled workflows.
Mixus demoed agents conducting complex workflows with human checkpoints, like researching TechCrunch reporters and sending verified pitch reports. The founders say the system could turn AI into a “digital colleague,” not just a tool.
“Most of the world, most of America, doesn’t even know what an AI agent is or why it’s helpful for them, and they’ve definitely never used one,” Katz said.
“We’re trying to reach all these people that have never used [agents], but could very much benefit from an AI.”
If Mixus delivers on its promise, it could make AI agents usable for everyday workers, not just developers or AI experts. The startup is betting on email as the gateway to widespread agent adoption.
