Firsthand
Firsthand sells an AI platform that helps marketers and publishers engage consumers through AI agents. The 59-person company raised $33M in Series A funding in March 2025.
The growth story
Firsthand grew from 1 to 59 employees between 2023 and 2026, raising $33M along the way, most recently a Series A in March 2025.
About
Firsthand's platform lets companies deploy AI agents that interact with consumers across websites and ads. These agents adapt to user interests in real time, aiming to guide them toward relevant information or actions. The system includes a proprietary data management layer that ensures companies retain control over their expertise.
The company raised $33M in Series A funding in March 2025, backed by investors including FirstMark and Crossbeam Venture Partners. Its 59-person team includes 18 engineers, reflecting a focus on technical development.
Founders and leadership
Firsthand is led by co-founders Jon Heller, Michael Rubenstein, and Wei Wei, who have prior entrepreneurial experience. Engineering is the largest function, with 18 employees, suggesting a strong technical focus.
The Firsthand org chart
Jonathan Heller (Chairman, Founder and Co-CEO) leads 22 mapped leaders with 10 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 19 (+19% YoY), Business Development 9 (+50% YoY), Sales 5 (+67% YoY), Consulting 5 (+67% YoY), Marketing 3 (+50% YoY), Product Management 3 (+50% YoY).
Talent flow
Firsthand's team draws heavily from ad tech companies, with 12 employees coming from FreeWheel and smaller groups from Amazon, Beamery, and Xandr. Alumni have moved to roles at Outset, Goodfire, and Oompf.
Most common previous employers of Firsthand staff: FreeWheel (12), Amazon (5), Beamery (5), Xandr (4), Meta (4), Flux (acquired) (3). Former Firsthand employees most often moved to Outset (1), Goodfire (1), Oompf (1), Trustpair (1).
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 0% direct, 0% search, 0% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Firsthand: Python (Programming Language) (23), Leadership (18), Digital Media (15), SQL (15), Microsoft Excel (15), Java (14), JavaScript (14), Research Skills (14).
Where the team actually sits
Firsthand people are concentrated in New York, United States (27), New York City Metropolitan Area (8), Arizona, United States (2), United States (2).
Search footprint
Firsthand attracts about 1,595 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $0K a month if bought through ads. It gained 32 ranking keywords and lost 31 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 4.50 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.60 / 5
- Senior management
- 5.00 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 4.50 / 5
Frequently asked
Firsthand has 59 employees as of September 2026.
Firsthand has raised $33M in total, most recently a Series A round in March 2025.
Firsthand was founded in 2023 by Michael Rubenstein, Wei Wei, Jonathan Heller.
Jonathan Heller (Chairman, Founder and Co-CEO) sits at the top of Firsthand's reporting structure, with 10 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Firsthand staff are FreeWheel (12 people), Amazon (5 people), Beamery (5 people).
Former Firsthand employees most often move to Outset (1), Goodfire (1), Oompf (1).
Firsthand attracts about 1,595 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $0K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Firsthand staff are Python (Programming Language), Leadership, Digital Media, SQL, Microsoft Excel.
Firsthand staff are concentrated in New York, United States (27), New York City Metropolitan Area (8), Arizona, United States (2).
Firsthand has about 19 people in Engineering, up 19% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Firsthand has about 9 people in Business Development, up 50% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 45 current and 6 former Firsthand profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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