Feb 26 (Reuters) -

Artificial Intelligence startup Bridgetown Research said on

Wednesday it had raised $19 million in a funding round led by

venture capital firms Lightspeed Venture Partners and Accel,

with participation from a leading research university.

The Series A funding round valued the Seattle-based company

at $250 million, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

While most AI solutions focus on searching and summarizing

information using large language models (LLMs), Bridgetown

Research develops AI agents that gather proprietary data from

experts and customer surveys.

These agents analyze the data to identify patterns and

generate insights, aiding executives and investors in making

strategic decisions.

With the latest fundraise, Bridgetown plans to invest

further in training AI agents or bots to perform a broader set

of analyses and enhance access to sector-specific intelligence

through partnerships.

The company, which initially focused on private equity deal

screening, has expanded to encompass a broader range of market

research services.

The startup was founded by Harsh Sahai, who previously led

machine learning teams at e-commerce giant Amazon.com ( AMZN )

and served as the engagement manager at McKinsey & Co.