Poly, a startup backed by Y Combinator, has officially relaunched as an AI-native cloud storage platform. The service allows users to centralize files in one hub, enabling advanced natural language queries to retrieve and analyze content. The company is now opening its platform to the public, offering a generous 100GB of storage for free users.
From 3D Assets to AI-Driven File Management
Originally founded in 2022 by Abhay Agarwal and Sam Young, Poly initially focused on AI-generated 3D assets. However, following the rapid saturation of the generative media market, the team pivoted to address a more pressing professional challenge: file disorganization. After entering stealth mode in 2023, the startup rebuilt its infrastructure into a cloud-based organizer designed specifically for knowledge workers.
“We interviewed our users to identify workflow pain points that AI could solve. A major unmet need was organizing and searching through personal file systems,” said Agarwal, who also serves as a research fellow at Microsoft. The platform is currently available on the web and macOS, with a Windows version slated for release soon.
How Poly’s AI Storage Works
Poly functions as a comprehensive cloud repository that supports PDFs, office documents, images, audio, video, and web URLs. Beyond simple storage, the platform uses AI to:
- Tag and categorize files automatically.
- Execute natural language queries across all stored data.
- Summarize documents and translate content.
- Generate folder structures and rename files based on context.
The company has secured $8 million in total seed funding, led by Felicis, with participation from Bloomberg Beta, NextView, Figma Ventures, AI Grant, Wing Ventures, and MVP Ventures.
Competitive Edge and Future Roadmap
James Cham, a partner at Bloomberg Beta, notes that Poly aims to place file systems back at the center of digital interaction. While it competes with incumbents like Dropbox and Google Drive, Poly’s primary differentiator is its integration of native AI search and a significantly higher free storage tier.
The startup is positioning itself as a productivity-focused alternative to tools like Google’s NotebookLM. Upcoming feature updates include:
- Web search capabilities.
- Custom metadata support and markdown editing.
- Direct integration with Google Docs.
- AI agents capable of performing spreadsheet calculations and complex data analysis.
For collaborative environments, Poly allows users to create shared drives and invite team members to query project-specific datasets. The company also provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, enabling users to leverage Poly’s data within external environments like ChatGPT or the Cursor code editor.
With a paid tier offering 2TB of storage for $10 per month, Poly is aggressively targeting power users and Gen AI-native creators who require more than just a static place to save files.