Startup Raises $2.3M to Build HR for AI 'Employees'

A new company called Reload is operating on a simple, if futuristic, premise: if AI agents are becoming workers, they need a manager. The startup has secured $2.275 million in pre-seed funding to build what it describes as a human resources department for artificial intelligence.

Founded by CEO Zahra Amanpour, Reload argues that as businesses deploy more AI agents for tasks from customer service to data analysis, the chaos of managing them will become a major operational headache. These aren't just tools, the thinking goes, but digital employees requiring oversight. "Companies will have more AI employees than human ones in a few years," Amanpour told TechCrunch. "But right now, there's no system to hire, track, or even fire them."

Reload's platform is designed to handle the entire lifecycle of an AI agent. It manages onboarding—setting access and behavioral rules—along with ongoing performance monitoring and compliance checks. Its core product is itself an AI agent tasked with supervising others, flagging anomalies and reporting to human overseers.

The funding round was led by Everywhere Ventures, with participation from Unpopular Ventures, Precursor Ventures, and Gaingels. The bet is that a new market for AI agent management is forming, distinct from traditional IT or DevOps tools. Research from firms like Gartner suggests autonomous AI will handle a significant portion of work decisions by 2028, underscoring the potential need.

Skeptics wonder if large cloud providers will eventually bake such features into their existing platforms, or if the HR analogy is even the right approach. For now, Reload is moving ahead, targeting industries like finance and healthcare where AI use is advanced and governance is critical. Its modest funding round reflects a focus on proving the concept before chasing scale. The company's success hinges on a workplace trend accelerating just fast enough: the rise of the AI coworker who needs a supervisor.