Zuni

What do they actually do

Zuni is a Chrome extension that adds an AI chat panel to your browser sidebar. It can read the content of the tab you’re viewing (including Gmail threads) and use that context to answer questions, summarize pages, or draft text without copy‑pasting. It also lets you route prompts to different model providers from the same UI (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, DeepSeek) zuni.app / changelog.

Inside Gmail, users can connect via OAuth and Zuni will summarize threads, surface action items, and propose reply drafts that you can edit and send. The product is delivered as a Chrome sidebar, so it works alongside the apps you already use rather than replacing them YC profile / changelog / demo video.

Zuni offers a free tier (Hobby: 10 message credits/day) and a Pro plan ($20/month for 1,500 credits/month) with priority access to new models. The team highlights local‑first chat storage and encrypted transport, while its privacy policy notes use of third‑party model/API providers where needed zuni.app / privacy / Product Hunt.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Busy knowledge workers (PMs, consultants): They process large volumes of email and web content and lose time copying text into other tools. They need in‑place summaries and reply drafts to move faster without switching tabs.
• Sales and customer‑facing reps: They must personalize responses using info scattered across pages, email threads, and CRMs. They need a quick way to pull page/thread context into accurate replies.
• Researchers and students: They synthesize facts across many sources and spend time copy‑pasting and organizing notes. They want concise, reliable page summaries to go from reading to writing quickly.
• Solo founders and small‑team operators: They juggle product, support, and hiring in the browser and don’t want a separate AI app. They need an assistant that drafts emails, summarizes threads, and keeps work close to where they operate.
• Power browser users and productivity enthusiasts: They keep many tabs open and lose context while switching. They want proactive, tab‑aware help that extracts what’s relevant from the current page to act faster.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Onboard people the founders already know (YC network, ex‑colleagues, early users) with free Pro credits and a short setup call focused on Gmail + tab‑aware demos; fix the biggest onboarding friction points.
• First 50: Seed targeted communities (Hacker News, Product Hunt, relevant Slack/LinkedIn groups) with a short demo; offer small referral credits and run a few focused pilots with small sales teams and solo founders to get testimonials.
• First 100: Lean into the 1–2 channels that work, refine the Chrome Web Store listing and in‑sidebar onboarding, publish persona‑specific guides/videos, and launch a simple referral program to drive word‑of‑mouth and a couple of paid SMB pilots.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Zuni sits at the intersection of browser‑based AI assistants and email productivity add‑ons, with an initial wedge in Chrome + Gmail users who want in‑place summarization and drafting rather than switching tools.

Bottom-up calculation:

At the current $20/month Pro price, every 100k paying users equals ~$24M ARR; 250k equals ~$60M ARR; 500k equals ~$120M ARR. This frames the revenue opportunity relative to penetration of heavy Chrome/Gmail users.

Assumptions:

• Pricing and packaging remain near today’s Pro plan ($20/month for 1,500 credits) zuni.app.
• Mix skews toward Pro among sustained, heavy users; free users act as a top‑of‑funnel.
• Illustrative payer counts reflect a subset of power users within the broader Chrome/Gmail user base.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Merlin: A popular Chrome extension for AI chat/summarization with multi‑model support; overlaps on “chat with the page” and routing, with broader features like projects and mobile apps Chrome Store.
• Compose AI: Writing/autocomplete extension that generates and rewrites text inline, including one‑click Gmail replies; competes on drafting but emphasizes inline autocompletion and style tuning over a persistent sidebar Chrome Store.
• Perplexity: Answer‑focused AI with a companion extension and its own AI browser (Comet); overlaps on page summaries and a right‑hand assistant but is positioned as a search/Q&A engine and full AI browser push Comet.
• Lavender: Sales email coach for Gmail/Outlook that generates personalized outreach, scores emails, and surfaces prospect context; directly competes on sales drafting but is specialized with analytics and CRM‑oriented features Chrome Store.
• Superhuman: Email client with built‑in AI (summaries, Instant Reply) that automates inbox tasks; competes on Gmail drafting/summaries but via a full client rather than a browser add‑on Product.