The Pivot
Linq, originally known for NFC-enabled business cards and QR code networking, has raised $17.25M in Series A funding and shifted its focus to programmatic messaging APIs designed for AI assistant integration. The company closed the round on December 23, 2025, led by Alabama Futures Fund with participation from Mucker Capital, Emerge, and Taiwan-based AppWorks Ventures.
This represents a significant strategic shift. Linq's original product—hardware for professional networking—targeted a consumer market. The new direction positions them as infrastructure for developers building conversational AI into messaging apps.
Market Context
The timing is notable. OpenAI deprecated its Assistants API v1 in late 2025, forcing developers to migrate integrations. Simultaneously, demand for pre-built messaging infrastructure has grown as companies race to deploy AI agents across WhatsApp, SMS, and proprietary channels. Frameworks like CrewAI and LangGraph have emerged for orchestrating multi-agent workflows, but the underlying messaging layer remains fragmented.
Linq is betting that developers want an alternative to Twilio's pricing and vendor lock-in. The challenge: Twilio, Vonage, and MessageBird have years of carrier relationships and compliance certifications. Linq will need to prove differentiation beyond "we're the AI-native option."
The Trade-offs
Pivots this substantial rarely happen without reason. Linq raised approximately $25M total across seven rounds before this Series A. That's a lot of capital for a business card company. The move to developer APIs expands total addressable market but requires building enterprise sales motion and technical credibility from scratch.
Three co-founders came from Shipt, suggesting operational experience. Whether they can execute in B2B infrastructure is the real question.
What to Watch
APAC presence matters here—AppWorks Ventures' involvement suggests potential regional expansion. Indonesia's recent Grok ban and reinstatement highlighted regulatory complexity around AI in messaging. Companies building on Linq's APIs will need clarity on compliance across jurisdictions.
The company hasn't disclosed customer traction or API adoption metrics. In developer tools, usage speaks louder than funding announcements. We'll see whether this pivot ships.