Emerging from Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 batch, Spur—a startup founded by Yale graduates Sneha Sivakumar and Anushka Nijhawan—has raised $4.5 million in seed funding to revolutionize software testing through AI-driven quality assurance (QA).
Innovating QA with AI Agents
Spur introduces AI agents capable of simulating real user interactions across web applications. By utilizing natural language prompts, these agents can perform tasks such as submitting job applications or navigating shopping carts, effectively identifying bugs and assisting in debugging processes. This approach allows product teams to automate testing workflows, reducing reliance on manual QA and expediting release cycles.
Founders with Deep Tech Roots
Co-founders Sivakumar and Nijhawan bring experience from leading tech companies—Sivakumar from Figma and Snap, and Nijhawan from DeepMind and Meta. Their collaboration began during their freshman year at Yale, culminating in the development of Spur’s no-code testing automation tool during their senior year. 
Endorsements and Client Successes
Spur’s innovative approach has attracted a roster of prominent clients:
- Y Combinator: Achieved 90% test coverage in two weeks, saving over 100 manual QA hours per funding batch.
- Wander: Reported a 23% increase in conversions within a week through Spur-led UX feedback.
- Norse: Tripled A/B testing experiments by automating regression testing with Spur.
These successes underscore Spur’s impact on enhancing product quality and accelerating development timelines.
Funding and Future Outlook
The $4.5 million seed round was led by First Round Capital, with participation from Pear VC, Neo, Conviction, and other notable investors. With this funding, Spur aims to expand its engineering team and further develop its AI-driven QA platform, positioning itself as a critical infrastructure component for modern product teams.
Source: Spur
