“Can vertical AI agents built specifically for accounting firms shift accountants from doers to reviewers and expand firm revenue capacity?”
Basis (legal entity Essex Labs, Inc.) was founded in 2023 to build agentic AI specifically for public accounting firms — automating close, tax, audit, and advisory workflows rather than replacing bookkeepers. It moved fast: Series A in December 2024 (Khosla), then a $100M Series B at $1.15B in February 2026 (Accel + GV) puts it in the unicorn tier for accounting AI. The 2026 launch of an End-to-End Tax Platform signals expansion from CAS/close workflows into full tax return preparation — going deeper into the accountant's workflow rather than broader across finance functions.
Basis was founded by Mitchell Troyanovsky and Matt Harpe and is founded in 2023, headquartered in New York, NY, USA.
Basis has raised $137.6M in total (latest round: Series B, February 2026; valuation: $1.15B).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Basis and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.