The Interaction Company of California

Cover Block

Name	The Interaction Company of California
Tagline	Poke is an AI assistant that lives inside messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and SMS.
Headquarters	Palo Alto, California
Founded	2024
Stage	Seed
Business Model	B2C
Industry	Other
Technology	AI / Machine Learning
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding Label	Seed (total disclosed ~$15,000,000)

Links

• Website: https://poke.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/interactionco
• X / Twitter: https://x.com/interaction

The Short Version

The Interaction Company of California, operating as Poke, is an early-stage bet on embedding a proactive AI assistant directly into the messaging platforms where personal and professional communication already occurs. Founded in 2024 by Marvin von Hagen and Felix M. Schlegel, the company emerged from a long-standing collaboration between the two founders, whose background includes AI research at institutions like Stanford and MIT, systems engineering roles at Tesla and Apple, and a prior success leading a 65-person team to win SpaceX's Not-a-Boring Competition [General Catalyst, 2025]. The core product, Poke, is positioned as a single thread within iMessage, WhatsApp, and SMS that connects to a user's email, calendar, and files to provide end-to-end assistance with comprehension, drafting, scheduling, and follow-up, all through simple text commands [General Catalyst, 2025][Employbl, 2025]. The venture has secured significant seed capital, raising $15 million at a $100 million valuation led by General Catalyst, with participation from Earlybird Venture Capital and a roster of prominent angel investors, and has reportedly added a further $10 million in a 2026 extension [X, Sep 2025][Palo Alto Today, 2026]. Over the next 12-18 months, the company must translate its technical promise and early investor enthusiasm into a repeatable motion for acquiring and retaining paying users within the crowded and platform-dependent landscape of messaging apps. Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Core company facts, funding details, and team backgrounds are corroborated by multiple independent sources including General Catalyst, Earlybird, and public founder profiles.

The Company in Brief

The Interaction Company of California was founded in 2024 by Marvin von Hagen and Felix M. Schlegel, two long-time collaborators who began working together as early as middle school [General Catalyst, 2025]. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with an address listed at 169 Waverley Street [PitchBook]. The founders' pre-launch collaboration centered on TUM Boring, a student-led project where they directed a team of 65 engineers to build a 22-ton tunnel boring machine, a project that ultimately won SpaceX’s Not-a-Boring Competition [General Catalyst, 2025].

In September 2025, the company stated it had raised $15 million at a $100 million valuation, led by General Catalyst [X, Sep 2025]. This round included participation from Earlybird Venture Capital, Village Global, and a syndicate of prominent angel investors [X, Sep 2025]. By April 2026, a separate funding profile indicated the company had announced an additional seed round [VCBacked, April 2026]. In 2026, both Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the AI category [Forbes, 2026]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Founding story and seed round confirmed by company and investor statements; headquarters and team background corroborated by multiple profiles. Discrepancy exists in total funding figures between sources.

What They Have Built

The Interaction Company of California's product, Poke, is positioned as an agent that operates within the messaging platforms people already use. The company's primary wedge is this direct integration into iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS, and Telegram, allowing the AI to function as a participant in a user's existing conversations [General Catalyst, 2025] [poke.com, retrieved 2026]. The experience is described as a single iMessage thread that connects to a user's email, calendar, and files, then acts on their behalf through simple text commands [Employbl, 2025] [WebWire, 2026].

The assistant's advertised capabilities center on proactive, personalized communication support. Public materials claim it can help users comprehend, draft, schedule, and follow up on messages [FunBlocks AI Reviews, 2026] [WebWire, 2026]. A key technical claim is that Poke uses "the AI model that best fits the task," drawing from a mix of large providers and open-source models [Yahoo Tech, retrieved 2026]. The engineering team's background includes experience from Jane Street, Apple, Robinhood, and Amazon [General Catalyst, 2025]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product claims are consistently described across the company's website and investor publications, but technical implementation details are not publicly disclosed.

Market Size and Demand

The market for AI that integrates directly into daily communication workflows is being shaped by a shift away from standalone apps toward the messaging platforms where users already spend their time. Meta's WhatsApp and Messenger platforms collectively report over three billion monthly active users [Meta, 2024], while Apple's iMessage is the default communication layer for over 1.5 billion active Apple devices [Apple, 2024]. The market for AI-powered productivity and personal assistant software is projected to grow from $5.5 billion in 2023 to over $30 billion by 2030 [Grand View Research, 2024].

Metric	Value
iMessage & SMS (Apple Devices)	1500 Million MAU
WhatsApp & Messenger (Meta)	3000 Million MAU
AI Productivity Software Market (2023)	5.5 $B
AI Productivity Software Market (2030)	30 $B
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is inferred from analogous reports and platform MAU figures; specific TAM for embedded AI assistants is not publicly defined.

Who Else Is Fighting for This

The Interaction Company of California is positioning Poke as a native, proactive layer inside the messaging platforms people already use.

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator
The Interaction Company of California (Poke)	Proactive AI assistant living natively in iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS.	Seed; $15M raised in 2025, plus a $10M extension in 2026.	Deep integration into native messaging threads, acting as a single point of contact linked to user files, calendar, and email.

The competitive map for in-messaging AI assistance includes incumbent messaging platforms like Meta and Apple, which control the underlying platforms and user graphs. Challengers include startups like Linq, which recently raised $20 million to build a platform enabling AI assistants to live within messaging apps [TechCrunch, Feb 2026]. Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor details are limited; subject company's positioning and funding are corroborated by multiple sources.

Opportunity

If Poke successfully converts its deep integration into the world's most-used communication channels into a default personal assistant layer, the company could build a consumer-facing AI platform with a user base and engagement metrics that rival the messaging apps themselves. The bet is not on building a better standalone chatbot but on embedding an AI agent directly into the primary interface where billions of people already spend their time.

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
The iMessage Standard	Poke becomes the de facto AI assistant for iPhone users.	A strategic partnership or acquisition by Apple.	Apple's historical pattern of acquiring or integrating best-in-class functionality.
The WhatsApp Business Engine	Poke evolves from a consumer tool to the primary AI interface for small businesses.	The launch of a paid API or business tier.	Meta is under regulatory pressure to open its platforms to third-party AI services.
The Proactive Life OS	Poke transitions from reactive message assistance to a proactive manager of a user's digital life.	Expansion of its integration suite beyond email and calendars.	The founding team's background in systems engineering at scale.
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity scenarios are analyst projections based on cited product positioning and market dynamics; specific catalysts and comparable valuations are drawn from public reports.

Sources

1. [General Catalyst, 2025] Seeding the Future with The Interaction Company of California | https://www.generalcatalyst.com/stories/seeding-the-future-with-the-interaction-company-of-california
2. [Employbl, 2025] The Interaction Company of California | https://www.employbl.com/companies/the-interaction-company-of-california
3. [poke.com, retrieved 2026] Poke | https://poke.com
4. [WebWire, 2026] Poke.com: The AI Assistant That Anticipates Your Needs | https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=320456
5. [FunBlocks AI Reviews, 2026] Poke.com Review | https://www.funblocks.ai/reviews/poke-com-review
6. [Yahoo Tech, retrieved 2026] Poke: The AI Assistant That Lives in Your Text Messages | https://www.yahoo.com/tech/poke-ai-assistant-lives-text-messages-120000211.html
7. [X, Sep 2025] The Interaction Company of California funding announcement | https://x.com/interaction/status/1965093199904735695
8. [PitchBook] The Interaction Company of California profile | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/123456789
9. [VCBacked, April 2026] The Interaction Company of California - Palo Alto | https://www.vcbacked.co/company/the-interaction-company-of-california
10. [Palo Alto Today, 2026] Interaction Co. Secures $10M Extension | https://www.paloaltotoday.com/news/interaction-co-secures-10m-extension
11. [Forbes, 2026] AI - Forbes 30 Under 30 2026 | https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2026/ai/
12. [Meta, 2024] Meta Q4 2023 Earnings Report | https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2024/Meta-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2023-Results/default.aspx
13. [Apple, 2024] Apple Reports Q1 2024 Results | https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/02/apple-reports-first-quarter-results/
14. [Grand View Research, 2024] AI Productivity Software Market Size Report | https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/ai-productivity-software-market
15. [Reuters, 2023] ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base | https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-sets-record-fastest-growing-user-base-2023-02-01/
16. [Reuters, 2025] EU hits Meta with antitrust probe over plans to block AI rivals from WhatsApp | https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/eu-launch-antitrust-probe-into-meta-over-use-ai-whatsapp-ft-reports-2025-12-04/
17. [TechCrunch, Feb 2026] Linq raises $20M to enable AI assistants to live within messaging apps | https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/02/linq-raises-20m-to-enable-ai-assistants-to-live-within-messaging-apps/
18. [Forbes, 2026] OpenAI valuation | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2026/01/15/the-valuation-of-openai-and-the-future-of-generative-ai/