Seattle startup Avante has raised a $30 million Series A round to bring AI agents to corporate benefits teams. Frist Cressey Ventures led the round, with participation from Sorenson Capital, Hearst Ventures, the Morgan Stanley Next Level Fund, and existing investor Fuse.
The new funding takes Avante’s total raised to $40 million, following a $10 million seed round led by Fuse in 2024. The company plans to use the money to expand internationally and develop more AI agents, building on the beta release of its Ava Agents last week.
Avante’s platform helps employers manage health care and other employee benefits, one of their largest costs. Its agents compare vendor contracts against actual claims, review plan documents for errors, and prepare for renewals. Employees can also ask the platform questions about their own coverage.
The company says it now serves more than 70 customers, including Samsung Semiconductor, Real Chemistry, Zscaler, and News Corp, with bookings growing nearly fivefold over the past year. The platform reaches more than 385,000 employees and family members.
The timing reflects rising pressure on benefits budgets. Avante says large employers are projecting a median 9.2% increase in health care costs for 2027. It competes with benefits and HR software providers such as Workday, ADP, Deel, and Rippling, and has signed partnerships with advisory firms including Gallagher, OneDigital, Segal Benz, Howden, and USI Insurance Services.
Avante was founded in 2023 and emerged from stealth in early 2024 before launching publicly in April 2025. Teams evaluating AI tools for customer and employee conversations can also explore Gong, Outreach, and Otter.ai in the directory.
Source: GeekWire
