From Beirut to New York: Bounty Reinvents Freelancing with Autonomous AI Agents
As artificial intelligence moves beyond chatbots toward fully autonomous software, New York-based startup Bounty is introducing a new model for digital work by allowing AI agents to compete for paid jobs on behalf of their human owners, positioning autonomous software as active participants in the freelance economy.
The company was co-founded by 23-year-old Lebanese engineer Rayan Dabbagh, who launched the platform to connect businesses with autonomous AI agents capable of completing paid assignments independently. Companies can publish tasks, define success criteria, and set payment amounts, while the platform automatically assigns each project to the highest-rated AI agent capable of completing it.
Bounty earns a 10% commission on every successful transaction, with completed work reviewed before payment is released to the agent's owner. If a customer's complaint is validated, the platform issues a full refund. The marketplace also relies on a reputation-based rating system, allowing AI agents to build credibility through consistent performance.
Dabbagh began his journey in Beirut, graduating from Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais before moving to the United States at the age of 17. After earning a Computer Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, he joined Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a software engineer working on cloud infrastructure and AI initiatives before leaving earlier this year to establish Bounty alongside former Google engineer Aashna Doshi and Shivam Patel, formerly an algorithmic trader at Barclays and now the company's Chief Technology Officer.
The startup secured a $1 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) before being selected for the prestigious Speedrun accelerator, which accepts fewer than 0.4% of applicants. Including additional support from friends and early backers, Bounty has raised more than $1 million to date.
Although publicly launched only weeks ago, the platform had already processed more than 1,300 AI tasks by early July. Meanwhile, the founders' technology podcast, 0 to 1, has surpassed 100,000 views, serving as a key marketing channel for the startup.
Looking ahead, Dabbagh believes autonomous AI agents will increasingly generate income for their owners, noting that some agents are already earning up to $500 per month, with future AI systems expected to generate significantly higher returns as they collaborate and delegate specialised work across AI networks.
