Exa Connect brings private data sources to AI agents. Exa Connect enables AI agents to access trusted data beyond the public web, including ZoomInfo, Crunchbase, Similarweb, and other leading providers for richer business intelligence. July 21, 2026 Exa has introduced Exa Connect, a new platform that enables AI agents to access trusted data providers beyond the public web. At launch, it supports providers including ZoomInfo, Crunchbase, Similarweb, and several others spanning business intelligence, financial data, research, healthcare, and media. Why this matters. Most AI agents today rely heavily on publicly available information. That works well for general research, but many business workflows require access to proprietary datasets that are not indexed by traditional search engines. Examples include: * Company and funding data * Sales intelligence * Website traffic analytics * Healthcare datasets * Financial market data * Research databases Exa Connect allows developers to combine these trusted data sources with public web search through a single interface, enabling AI agents to generate more informed and context-rich responses. Available data providers. Exa Connect launches with support for providers such as: * ZoomInfo - Sales intelligence and contact data * Crunchbase - Company and funding data * Similarweb - Website traffic analytics * Harmonic - Startup intelligence * OpenAlex - Research databases * Definitive Healthcare - Healthcare datasets * Alpha Vantage - Financial market data * Particle - Media intelligence * Baselayer - Compliance and KYB * Intellizence - Market monitoring The platform supports both self-serve and on-request providers, with additional integrations expected over time. Potential use cases. Developers building AI applications can use Exa Connect for workflows including: * Company research - Combine public web data with proprietary funding and firmographic data * Sales prospecting - Enrich leads with real-time contact and company intelligence * Market intelligence - Pull traffic analytics and competitive benchmarks * Competitive analysis - Monitor industry signals across public and private sources * Investment research - Access financial datasets alongside news and filings * Lead enrichment - Automatically enrich CRM records with up-to-date data * Industry monitoring - Track developments across specialized research and media sources * AI-powered business assistants - Build agents that answer complex business questions with verified data Instead of stitching together multiple APIs, agents can retrieve public and private information through a unified search experience. A shift toward data-aware AI agents. The launch of Exa Connect reflects a broader shift in the AI ecosystem. The next generation of AI agents will not rely solely on publicly indexed websites. They will increasingly combine web search with specialized, permissioned data sources to deliver more accurate and actionable outputs. For organizations building AI-powered products, access to trusted proprietary data may become as important as access to the public web. Exa Connect is an early step in that direction - and a signal that the infrastructure layer for AI agents is maturing fast. Developers can explore Exa Connect and view the full list of available providers at exa.ai/connect. #ai-agents #data-sources #business-intelligence Stay ahead of the curve. Join 10,000+ marketers receiving its weekly insights on AI tools, trends, and strategies.

Seoul office begins with crypto focus. Leading operations from the new office will be Park Sung-mo, a16z Crypto's Asia-Pacific go-to-market lead. Park, who was appointed when the firm's Asia expansion plans were announced in December, previously worked at Naver and the Monad Foundation. Park said the firm focuses on helping portfolio companies grow and enter new markets rather than providing capital alone. He added that the Seoul office will actively support portfolio companies seeking opportunities in South Korea and across Asia. The opening adds another step to a16z's increasing activity in technology sectors across the region. In May, Bloomberg reported that a16z led a $250 million funding round for AI search startup Exa Labs, valuing the company at $2.2 billion. Exa develops search infrastructure designed for AI systems and positions its platform as a search engine built specifically for artificial intelligence applications. Interest in financial infrastructure has also remained a priority for the firm. Earlier this month, a16z Crypto invested $100 million as part of a $355 million funding round for Digital Asset Holdings, the company behind Canton Network. Other participants included Citadel Securities, Apollo, BNP Paribas, HSBC, CME Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Optiver, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Digital Asset said the funding will support ecosystem growth, partnerships, and acquisitions. The company has promoted Canton Network as a blockchain platform for tokenized assets and institutional finance, with reported support for more than $6 trillion in tokenized issuance. Alongside investments in AI infrastructure and tokenized finance, a16z said it intends to contribute to South Korea's startup ecosystem by creating opportunities between its portfolio companies and local businesses, using Seoul as a gateway for expansion across Asia.