Airlift co-founder Usman Gul’s AI startup Metal raises $4.5mn seed

Metal, a Pakistan-based startup, has raised $4.5 million in a seed funding round led by a16z Speedrun and Y Combinator. Metal founder and CEO Usman Gul, also a founder of Airlift, announced the news via a social media post. Metal operates as an AI operating system designed to assist founders with their fundraising and venture capital workflows. The AI platform provides deep intelligence and automation to assist startups’ funding rounds. Meanwhile, in his post, Gul said that the funding round also saw participation from Pioneer Fund, Rebel Fund, Gaingels, Indus Valley Capital, Team Ignite Ventures and Phaze Ventures, among others. According to Gul, Metal is tracking to close FY2026 with multi-million-dollar annual revenue, having recorded six consecutive quarters of 30-80% quarter-on-quarter growth. “Today marks an important step in our broader ambition: turning software that founders initially adopt while raising capital into infrastructure they continue using throughout the capital formation process.” The company also announced the publication of its thesis on the evolution of private capital markets, outlining how it expects the sector to develop in the coming years. Earlier in J