How Braintrust Secured $36M to Solve AI's Biggest Problem That No One Talks About

Ankur Goyal, the founder of Braintrust, is no stranger to the challenges of building reliable AI products. Having previously helped develop AI infrastructure at Impira and Figma, Goyal knows firsthand that creating AI tools isn't just about innovative algorithms or impressive models—it's about ensuring that those tools perform well under real-world conditions. This insight has been central to Braintrust’s mission, a company that has now raised $36 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The funding puts Braintrust’s valuation at $150 million and positions the company as a key player in the AI evaluation space.

We’re thrilled to announce that we've raised a $36M Series A led by @martin_casado at @a16z to advance the future of AI software engineering, bringing our total funding to $45 million.

We’re also introducing functions — a flexible primitive for building with foundation models. pic.twitter.com/ruVxXMGQft

— Braintrust (@braintrustdata) October 8, 2024

From Hype to Performance

AI tools often grab headlines for their potential to revolutionize industries, but as Goyal explains, the real challenge begins after the excitement dies down and users begin relying on these tools for day-to-day tasks. “People are good at predicting what they’ll need an AI tool for,” Goyal says. “The hard part is that if you just type something up and ship it, it doesn’t work.” The gap between initial expectations and actual performance is what Braintrust aims to address.

Braintrust steps in to help companies assess and refine their AI products, ensuring they’re not only functional but also accurate and reliable. Its software evaluates how well AI tools are working, providing a feedback loop that helps companies optimize their models over time. “It’s like baking without measuring the ingredients,” Goyal explains. “If you don’t have proper evaluations in place, you end up with mush.”