Writer

Overview

Writer is an enterprise generative AI platform founded in August 2020 by May Habib and Waseem AlShikh[6]. The company offers a full-stack platform built on its proprietary Palmyra model family[5]. Writer's product includes customizable AI guardrails, no-code development tools, data connectors and self-hosting options[3]. In February 2023, the company launched three Palmyra models ranging from 128M to 20B parameters, followed by a Knowledge Graph feature in May 2023 to connect business data sources to its language models[5]. In October 2024, Writer released Palmyra X 004, trained almost entirely on synthetic data at a reported development cost of approximately $700,000, while shifting focus toward AI agents that plan and execute workflows[2]. Named enterprise customers include Mars, Ally Bank, Qualcomm, Salesforce, Uber, Accenture, L'Oreal and Intuit[1]. The company raised a $100 million Series B in September 2023[7] and a $200 million Series C in November 2024 at a $1.9 billion valuation[4], bringing total funding to $326 million[4].

Released Palmyra X 004 in October 2024, trained almost entirely on synthetic data at a claimed development cost of about $700,000, and shifted focus to AI agents that plan and execute workflows across systems and teams. [3] (Nov 12, 2024)

The platform includes customizable AI guardrails and no-code development tools alongside data connectors and self-hosting. [4] (Nov 12, 2024)

Writer offers a full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises, built on its own Palmyra model family. It launched Palmyra-Small (128M parameters), Palmyra-Base (5B) and Palmyra-Large (20B) in February 2023, and added Knowledge Graph in May 2023 to connect business data sources to its LLMs, along with the option for customers to self-host its proprietary models. [6]

Business address: 140 Geary St, San Francisco, California, 94108. [13]

Funding history

Raised a $200 million Series C on 12 November 2024 at a $1.9 billion valuation, co-led by Premji Invest, Radical Ventures and ICONIQ Growth, bringing total raised to $326 million. Salesforce Ventures, Adobe Ventures, B Capital, Citi Ventures, IBM Ventures, Workday Ventures, Accenture, Balderton, Insight Partners and Vanguard also participated. [1] (Nov 12, 2024)

Raised a $100 million Series B in September 2023 led by ICONIQ Growth, with Insight Partners, WndrCo, Balderton Capital and Aspect Ventures participating. [5]

Customers

Named enterprise customers include Mars, Ally Bank, Qualcomm, Salesforce, Uber, Accenture, L'Oreal and Intuit; the company reported having hundreds of clients. [2] (Nov 12, 2024)

Growth & traction

Founded in August 2020 by May Habib and Waseem AlShikh, who had previously worked together on Qordoba (founded 2015); headquartered in San Francisco. [7]

LinkedIn lists 644 people working at Writer. [11]