10 AI Agent Development Companies in New York City

Chatbots answer questions. AI agents get work done.

An agent can reschedule an appointment, process a refund, or research a prospect without a human pressing every button. That shift explains why demand for AI agent development companies in New York City has surged.

This guide covers 10 NYC companies building AI agents. Some sell ready-made agent platforms. Others build custom agents for your business. You will learn where each one fits and what to watch for.

What Is an AI Agent?

An AI agent is software that receives a goal and works toward it on its own. It plans steps, uses your tools, and checks its results.

Here is a simple example. A customer calls to move a delivery. A traditional phone menu routes the call. An AI agent understands the request, checks the order system, books a new slot, and confirms by text.

Good agents also know their limits. When a request is risky or unclear, they hand off to a human.

AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What Is the Difference?

The difference comes down to action.

That last row matters. An agent that acts on your systems needs testing, permissions, and monitoring a chatbot never did.

How We Chose These AI Agent Companies

Every company here is headquartered in New York City or runs a major New York base. Each one builds AI agents for businesses, either as a platform or a service.

We looked at:

• What types of agents each company builds
• Named customers, funding, and analyst recognition
• Pricing signals where public
• Gaps and risks buyers should consider

Funding and usage figures come mostly from company announcements. They show momentum, not proof that an agent will work in your environment.

Quick Comparison: AI Agent Companies in NYC

The 10 Best AI Agent Development Companies in New York City

1. ElevenLabs: Lifelike Voice Agents at Scale

ElevenLabs was founded in 2022 and lists New York as its headquarters, with offices in London and Warsaw. It began with AI voice generation and dubbing.

Its ElevenAgents platform lets companies deploy voice and chat agents. It connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk. It also supports agent testing, version control, and self-hosted language models.

In February 2026, ElevenLabs raised a $500 million Series D at an $11 billion valuation. Customers include Cisco and Epic Games.

Best for: Brands where voice quality shapes the customer experience.

Watch out for: Great voice does not fix weak workflows. You still need clean integrations behind the agent.

2. Parloa: AI Agents for Enterprise Customer Service

Parloa is based in New York and Berlin. It builds an AI agent management platform for large customer service teams.

In January 2026, Parloa raised $350 million at a $3 billion valuation. It reports more than $50 million in annual recurring revenue. Production customers include Allianz, Booking.com, and HealthEquity.

Its Agent Composition feature lets teams build one agent and reuse it across regions and departments. SAP also selected Parloa to bring AI agents into SAP Service Cloud.

Best for: Global contact centers handling high call and chat volumes.

Watch out for: It is built for enterprise scale. Small teams may find it more than they need.

3. LivePerson: Conversational AI With Built-In Testing

LivePerson was founded in 1995 and is headquartered on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. It trades on Nasdaq and powers nearly a billion messages a month.

Its standout feature is the Conversation Simulator. It tests AI agents against thousands of synthetic customers before and after launch. This catches made-up answers and policy breaks before real customers see them.

Aragon Research named LivePerson a Leader in its 2026 Globe for Agent Platforms. The platform also lets brands connect their preferred language models.

Best for: Enterprise brands that want strong testing before agents go live.

Watch out for: LivePerson has deep roots in older chat technology. Confirm its newer agent features match your roadmap.

4. Regal: Voice Agents for Sales and Service Calls

Regal was founded in New York City in 2020. It builds AI voice agents for consumer-facing businesses.

Its agents answer questions, schedule services, and transfer callers to humans when needed. Regal says it has driven more than 250 million AI calls. Customers include Google and Toyota.

The company raised $40 million in October 2024. It also partners with outsourcing firm TaskUs to bring its agents to TaskUs clients.

Best for: Insurance, home services, and education companies with busy phone lines.

Watch out for: Outbound calling faces strict consent and calling rules. Get legal review before launch.

5. Amelia (SoundHound): Veteran Enterprise Virtual Agents

Amelia started as IPsoft, founded in New York City in 1998 by former NYU professor Chetan Dube. Its virtual agent, also called Amelia, launched in 2014.

SoundHound AI acquired Amelia in August 2024 for about $80 million. The platform supports customer service and IT operations agents.

Amelia has been deployed at hundreds of enterprises. Named clients include BNP Paribas, Aeromexico, and ASICS.

Best for: Large banks, airlines, and IT teams wanting a proven enterprise vendor.

Watch out for: Product direction now sits within SoundHound. Ask about the roadmap before signing a long contract.

6. AUI: Agents That Follow the Rules

AUI, short for Augmented Intelligence, is a New York-based company founded in 2017. It builds Apollo-1, a model designed for task-focused conversational agents.

Most AI models predict likely answers. Apollo-1 combines that style with rule-based reasoning. The goal is agents that follow company policies the same way every time.

AUI raised $20 million at a $750 million valuation cap in November 2025. It also has a go-to-market partnership with Google.

Best for: Banks, airlines, and insurers where agents must follow strict policies.

Watch out for: General availability was still pending at its last announcement. Confirm current access.

7. Tavily: Web Search Built for AI Agents

Tavily was founded in 2024 and splits its team between New York and Tel Aviv. It gives AI agents a fast, reliable way to search the web.

Research and sales agents often need fresh information. Tavily supplies cleaned, relevant search results that agents can use directly. Customers include Cohere and Groq.

Tavily raised a $20 million Series A in August 2025, led by Insight Partners and Alpha Wave Global. It reports over a million monthly downloads.

Best for: Developer teams building research, monitoring, or analyst agents.

Watch out for: It is a building block. You still need an agent framework and a team to build on it.

8. Prosper AI: Phone Agents for Healthcare

Prosper AI is a New York-based startup building voice agents for healthcare providers. Its agents handle patient calls, scheduling, claims follow-up, and prior authorizations.

Healthcare offices lose hours every day on hold with insurance companies. Prosper’s agents make and take those calls so staff can focus on patients.

In June 2026, Prosper raised a $30 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz.

Best for: Medical practices and billing teams drowning in payer calls.

Watch out for: Healthcare data rules are strict. Confirm HIPAA safeguards and audit logs.

9. BlueLabel: Custom Agents From Pilot to Production

BlueLabel was founded in 2009 and is based on West 18th Street in Manhattan. It is a design and development firm now focused on AI strategy and delivery.

The firm says it has put more than 50 AI agents into production since 2024. Its stated mission is closing the gap between AI pilots and production. It builds on both Anthropic and OpenAI models.

BlueLabel holds a 4.7 rating across 71 Clutch reviews. Projects start at $75,000, with rates of $100 to $149 per hour.

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise firms that need a custom agent built and shipped.

Watch out for: The $75,000 minimum rules out small experiments. Some reviewers mention occasional delays.

10. Icreon: Salesforce Agentforce Specialists

Icreon is a New York-based digital transformation agency with roughly two decades of client work. Incline Equity Partners invested in the company in 2022.

Icreon is a Salesforce consulting partner that lists Agentforce strategy, prototyping, and deployment as a core strength. Agentforce is Salesforce’s platform for building AI agents inside its CRM.

Its Salesforce AppExchange listing shows a 4.98 rating and 20 certified specialists.

Best for: Companies that run sales and service on Salesforce and want agents inside it.

Watch out for: It is strongest within the Salesforce ecosystem. Non-Salesforce shops should look elsewhere.

Should You Buy an Agent Platform or Hire a Build Partner?

This is the biggest decision you will make. The right answer depends on how standard your workflow is.

Choose a platform when:

• Your use case is common, like support calls or appointment booking
• You want to launch in weeks, not months
• You prefer predictable subscription pricing

Choose a build partner when:

• Your workflow is unique or spans many internal systems
• You need agents inside tools like Salesforce or a custom ERP
• You lack in-house AI engineers

Many companies start with a platform for customer service. They then hire a partner for internal agents that touch finance or operations.

How to Evaluate an AI Agent Vendor

Ask these questions before you sign:

1. What can the agent do without approval? Define clear limits on refunds, changes, and data access.
2. How do you test agents before launch? Look for simulated conversations and accuracy targets.
3. When does the agent hand off to a human? Smooth handoffs protect customer trust.
4. What gets logged? You need a record of every decision for audits and fixes.
5. How is pricing structured? Per minute, per conversation, or per resolution changes your costs a lot.

What Doesn’t Work With AI Agents

Agent projects fail in predictable ways.

• Too much freedom too soon: Give agents narrow permissions first. Expand only after they prove reliable.
• No escalation path: Customers hate loops. Always offer a fast route to a person.
• Messy back-end data: An agent cannot book a slot your calendar system reports wrongly.
• Launching without simulation: Real customers should not be your test set.

A real-world scenario: a home services firm launches a voice agent for bookings. It works well until callers ask about pricing exceptions. Without a clear handoff rule, the agent guesses. Adding a simple escalation rule fixed the issue in a day.

Final Thoughts

AI agent development companies in New York City cover the full spectrum. You will find voice platforms, customer service leaders, specialist infrastructure, and hands-on build partners.

Contact centers should compare Parloa, ElevenLabs, LivePerson, and Regal. Healthcare providers should look at Prosper AI. Teams with unique workflows should talk to BlueLabel or, on Salesforce, Icreon.

Start with one narrow task, test it hard, and widen the agent’s job only after it earns trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do AI agent development companies do?

They build software agents that complete tasks like booking, support, and research. Some sell ready platforms; others build custom agents.

How much does it cost to build a custom AI agent?

Custom builds from NYC agencies often start around $75,000. Platform pricing usually runs per minute, conversation, or resolution.

What is the difference between an AI agent and a chatbot?

A chatbot mainly answers questions. An AI agent takes actions in your systems, like updating orders or scheduling appointments.

Are AI voice agents legal for outbound calls?

They can be, but consent and calling rules apply. Get legal review and follow telemarketing regulations before launching outbound calls.

How do I make AI agents safe for customers?

Limit what agents can do without approval, test them with simulated conversations, and log every action for review.