E
Exa
Formerly known as Metaphor Systems. | AI-native search engine for applications and workflows.
About Exa
Exa.ai is an innovative startup that specializes in developing an AI-driven search engine designed to deliver precise, real-time data. The company serves a diverse range of clients, including businesses and developers who require high-quality data for training AI models and enhancing their applications. Operating in the artificial intelligence and data analytics market, Exa.ai's core product is an API that allows users to retrieve the best data from the web with just a few lines of code. The business model revolves around a subscription-based service, offering 1000 free searches per month for new users, and additional searches available through paid plans. Exa.ai generates revenue by providing scalable data solutions that help clients avoid the pitfalls of traditional search engines, which often rely heavily on keyword matching and can deliver suboptimal results. The company recently raised $17 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Nvidia, and Y Combinator, which will be used to scale their search product and solidify their position as the data layer for AI applications.
Source: Dealroom company dataAt a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, United States
- Employees
- 164
- Open positions
- 16
- Dealroom signal
- 95.6/100
- Sector
- AI, Search Engine Optimization, Core AI, Productivity Tools, Verified Unicorns and $1B Exits, Novel AI, Generative AI
- Technology
- Artificial Intelligence, Deep Tech, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing
- Business model
- SaaS
- Client focus
- b2b, b2c
Latest news
Press, funding announcements and product moves mentioning Exa.
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERIES COther financing | May 2026 | $250M | $2.2B | Andreessen Horowitz | ↗ |
| SERIES BOther financing | Sep 2025 | $85M | $700M | Nvidia · Benchmark · Lightspeed Venture Partners · Y Combinator | ↗ |
Financials
Revenue, earnings and other financial measures where available. Years marked “E” are estimates.
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Exa is 850K monthly website visits, up 2.4% over the last three months. Exa's team grew 53.3% over the past year.
Open positions
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Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed4 investors entered at this stage
Y Combinator
Pioneer Fund
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Nvidia
Series A1 investor entered at this stage
Series B and later1 investor entered at this stage
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Exa on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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