# Kernel

> Kernel is a San Francisco startup building browser infrastructure for AI agents and web automations. Its cloud browsers launch in a few hundred milliseconds, persist login state across workflows, and evade bot detection, letting developers point agents at the live web without operating their own browser fleet. Backed by Accel and Y Combinator, Kernel raised $22M and says it is used by thousands of teams building agents, including Cash App and Rye.

- **Founded:** 2025
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Catherine Jue (Co-Founder & CEO), Rafael Garcia (Co-Founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~6-20 employees (YC lists 6; other sources list ~20)
- **Products:** Kernel Browser Infrastructure, Persistent Sessions, Stealth Mode, Live View, Replays & Logging, Framework Compatibility
- **Notable:** Raised $22M in combined seed and Series A led by Accel within its first year., Backed by Y Combinator (Summer 2025) and angels including Paul Graham, Solomon Hykes (Docker), David Cramer (Sentry), Zach Sims (Codecademy), and Charlie Marsh (Astral)., Reports 3000+ teams building agents on the platform.

## Products & services

- **Kernel Browser Infrastructure** — Browsers-as-a-service for AI agents and automations: cloud browsers that launch in a few hundred milliseconds, run in isolated VMs/unikernels, and support headless or headful modes.
- **Persistent Sessions** — Sessions that retain cookies and authentication so agents can stay logged in and resume workflows across runs.
- **Stealth Mode** — Anti-bot detection with residential proxies and automatic CAPTCHA solving to let agents access sites reliably.
- **Live View, Replays & Logging** — Real-time live view of running browsers plus session recording and logs for debugging agent behavior.
- **Framework Compatibility** — Works with Playwright, Puppeteer, CDP and agent frameworks like Browser Use.
- **Kernel CLI & Open-Source Images** — Open-source browser images and a CLI (github.com/onkernel) for launching and managing browsers.

## Achievements

- Raised $22M in combined seed and Series A led by Accel within its first year.
- Backed by Y Combinator (Summer 2025) and angels including Paul Graham, Solomon Hykes (Docker), David Cramer (Sentry), Zach Sims (Codecademy), and Charlie Marsh (Astral).
- Reports 3000+ teams building agents on the platform.
- Claims sub-150ms cold starts and ~300ms launch/connect times for managed browsers.
- SOC 2 compliant and HIPAA-ready with production customers including Cash App and Rye.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Announced $22M in combined seed and Series A funding led by Accel to scale its browser infrastructure platform for AI agents.
- **2025-07** — Participated in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kernel.sh
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trykernel/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/usekernel
- GitHub: https://github.com/onkernel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kernel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-11