DryMerge Aims to Simplify App Integration with AI-Driven Automation!

DryMerge, a startup backed by Y Combinator, is attempting to revolutionize app integration with a new AI-driven platform that simplifies the process of connecting apps that don’t typically communicate with one another.

Founded by software developers Sam Brashears and Edward Frazer, who experienced firsthand the complexities of app-linking tools during their internships at companies like Meta and Stripe, DryMerge aims to lower the barrier to entry for automation by eliminating the need for programming knowledge.

This belief led the two long-time friends to create DryMerge, a chatbot-based platform designed to make app-to-app automation accessible for non-technical users.

Image Source: TechCrunch

The platform allows users to describe automation in natural language, such as “Whenever I get an email from a new prospect, ping the team on Slack and add them to HubSpot,” and handles all the necessary technical details behind the scenes.

DryMerge’s user interface is clean and minimalist, similar to ChatGPT’s, with a text-based chatbot that initiates new sessions for each automation request.

Users can access a list of their previous sessions on a side panel, allowing them to revisit and modify their workflows. The platform integrates with an expanding library of apps, including Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce, Dropbox, OneDrive, and messaging clients like Discord.

The ultimate game changer

— Jack Tregim (@mycorrectview) September 16, 2024

While the idea behind DryMerge is compelling, the platform is still in its early stages and is not without its flaws.

During a test run, DryMerge performed well, guiding the user through logging into the relevant apps and testing the automations to ensure they were working correctly. However, problems soon began to surface.

The chatbot occasionally stopped responding altogether, and at other times, it misunderstood key details in the user’s request.

Image Source: TechCrunch

For example, despite multiple attempts, it repeatedly failed to understand a request to copy Gmail contacts to Google Calendar, instead suggesting the manual entry of contacts into a spreadsheet.

Nevertheless, when DryMerge works, it can be a powerful tool. For example, it successfully set up an automation that copies posts from an X (formerly Twitter) account to a personal Discord server, a niche but useful feature for users who frequently switch between tasks.

The platform’s founders, Frazer and Brashears, acknowledge the current bugs but assure users that these will be resolved over time, emphasizing that they are currently the only employees of the startup and have a long list of tasks to address.

Great for invasions of privacy and data mining too.

— Matthew Mccartney (@mattsoverit) September 15, 2024

DryMerge enters a highly competitive market known as integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS), which is projected to reach $2.7 billion this year, according to a poll by IDG and TeamDynamix.

AWS has already launched its own iPaaS called AppFabric, while IBM has acquired technology in the space from Software AG. Other established players, such as Zapier and IFTTT, are also enhancing their platforms with generative AI capabilities.

Despite these challenges, Frazer argues that DryMerge’s key differentiator will be its ease of use, claiming it is “10x easier to use” than drag-and-drop integration builders.

There is substantial potential for growth, as evidenced by the IDG and TeamDynamix poll, which found that 66% of companies plan to invest in iPaaS solutions to address their internal automation and data integration challenges.

Although the platform currently only has around 2,000 users, DryMerge has been accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch and recently secured $2.2 million in seed funding led by Garage Capital, with participation from Goodwater Capital, Ritual Capital, and unnamed angel investors.

The funds will be used to add new app integrations and double the size of DryMerge’s team over the next few months.

As Frazer puts it, “We think we’re well-positioned to iterate quickly and nimbly,” but much will depend on the startup’s ability to address its current bugs and establish itself in a market crowded with formidable competitors.

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