A Stockholm-based startup has just released its "self-driving" AI-powered browser to the general public, marking a major milestone in Europe's quest to lead the next generation of intelligent web technologies.
After a year of closed testing, Strawberry Browser is now available in open beta, bringing autonomous AI agents directly into your browsing experience. Unlike traditional browsers that simply display websites, Strawberry can surf, click, and perform real tasks on behalf of the user — even on login-protected sites and internal dashboards.
The Vision: AI for Everyone, Not Just Developers
Founded in Stockholm by Charles Maddock, Sebastian Thunman, and Arian Hanifi, Strawberry was built with a clear mission: to make advanced AI automation accessible to non-technical users. While enterprise companies deploy AI through million-dollar budgets and multi-year programs, freelancers, startups, and small businesses need solutions that work immediately.
"En dag kommer varje företag i världen använda Strawberry" ("One day, every company in the world will use Strawberry"), says co-founder Charles Maddock. The team's ambition is bold — and they've attracted serious backers to match it.
$6 Million in Funding from Top-Tier Investors
In October 2025, Strawberry secured $6 million (approximately 60 million SEK) in seed funding led by General Catalyst and EQT Ventures, with participation from founders of Lovable, Supabase, and Hugging Face.
Yuri Sagalov, Partner at General Catalyst, explained why his firm invested: "The browser is fast becoming the front line for AI, and the Strawberry team is at the center of that shift. Their user-centric design and Charles's ability to galvanize a community give them what we think is a leading edge."
Sandra Malmberg, Partner at EQT Ventures, added: "We got to know Charles even before Strawberry was founded, and were struck by his passion for AI and sharp perspective where it was headed. Their ambition to build at global scale, infectious passion and ability to attract exceptional talent made it an easy decision."
What Makes Strawberry Different?
The browser features built-in AI agents (called "companions") that can navigate complex, multi-step workflows within the browser environment — from comprehensive market research to lead generation across password-protected platforms.
These companions are designed for specific professional roles: salespeople can automate lead generation on LinkedIn and export data directly to CRM; recruiters can streamline candidate sourcing and screening; analysts can extract structured data from complex dashboards.
A key innovation is Strawberry's personalized onboarding process that maps the user's role and workflow. With the user's explicit consent, the system builds a profile and then suggests relevant tasks to reduce the barrier to getting started. This interactive tutorial guides users through initial configuration in just three to five screens, with tooltips providing targeted explanations. Within ten minutes, the first operational use case is ready to run, offering concrete proof of the time savings Strawberry delivers.
Real-World Performance
According to Strawberry's internal tests, the browser outperforms competing AI tools, including Perplexity's Comet and OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas, in practical workflows. The browser also scores approximately 78% on the GAIA agent benchmark, confirming its effectiveness for end-to-end automated tasks.
Independent benchmark testing has placed Strawberry among the leading AI browsers for 2026, with particular strength in background automation and screen learning capabilities.
What Users Are Saying
Early beta users have reported impressive results. One sales professional shared: "Thanks to Strawberry, I was able to automate LinkedIn lead research and export data directly to my CRM. In less than 5 minutes, my agent had collected more than 300 qualified contacts."
Another user described the experience: "Love co-working with Strawberry! Having it run in the background collecting leads while I stay focused on the product is a game-changer. It's not about speed, it's about getting more done without breaking focus."
Sebastian Thunman, co-founder, articulated the company's philosophy: "Here's the truth about AI agents in 2026: They're not faster than you. If you need to pull a competitor's pricing page or find one data point – just do it yourself. The value isn't in the 5-minute tasks. It's in the hour-long ones you don't have time for. Vetting 80 potential hires. Mapping out a full competitor landscape. Researching 10 new market verticals. That's what we're solving for."
Competitive Landscape
Strawberry enters a crowded but rapidly evolving market. Major competitors include Perplexity Comet (strong research-focused automation, now free after previously requiring $200/month subscriptions), ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI's browser with agent mode, requiring ChatGPT Plus at $20/month), Google Chrome Auto Browse (launched January 2026 for Premium subscribers, enabling autonomous task completion through Gemini 3 AI), and Brave Leo (privacy-focused, free, but limited to on-page actions without deep automation).
Where Strawberry differentiates itself is in multi-agent autonomous execution across multiple applications — stitching together Gmail, Notion, Google Sheets, and CRMs into cohesive workflows.
Privacy and Security By Design
Strawberry emphasizes local-first storage for credentials and cached data. Before an agent acts — reading a mailbox, modifying a Notion page, or writing to Sheets — it requests explicit authorization. Users can review granular permissions and revoke them per app or per agent.
Compared with cloud-first assistants that shuttle data to remote servers for every step, Strawberry's local posture reduces exposure. For privacy-conscious teams, this stance is a meaningful differentiator.
Current Limitations
The browser is currently desktop-only with no mobile support, meaning approvals and status checks are tied to desktop sessions. Some early testers have reported stability issues and third-party dependency complications, particularly with the Composio integration layer.
One reviewer noted: "MKSE.com has tested the browser in beta for around a month and it's not exactly a stable experience that exists at the moment. Dependency on Google Chrome and its unwillingness to release too much functionality or authentication is palpable."
However, as an open beta, Strawberry is actively iterating based on user feedback.
Pricing and Availability
Strawberry Browser is available for download now. The platform is free to try, with access to full functionality costing $20 per month.
During the open beta, users can download and explore features without commitment, taking advantage of frequent updates and influencing the product roadmap through feedback. To get started: visit the official Strawberry website, download the extension for Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, create an account with your email address, and complete the guided setup to define your profile and first agent.
The Future of Work
Strawberry represents a broader shift from sterile, corporate AI tools toward personalized companions that bring both capability and personality to work. By transforming routine tasks into collaborative experiences, Strawberry is redefining what it means to work alongside AI.
As Maddock puts it: "The browser is a tool most people use daily and know intimately. By giving Strawberry powerful AI features out of the box, we're making AI automation accessible to everyone."
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