Origami, a startup based in San Francisco and supported by Y Combinator, has introduced a conversational AI tool designed for sales prospecting. This innovative product generates sales lead lists based on simple English prompts and offers access through a straightforward monthly subscription model.
This solution is aimed at streamlining workflows that typically depend on cumbersome spreadsheets and conventional sales intelligence databases. Featuring a chat-style interface, users can input their requests for specific company and contact information, and swiftly receive tailored lead lists.
Starting at $80 per month, Origami’s pricing model is flat-rate, avoiding the complexities of per-seat fees. The output is presented as a “ready-to-work lead list,” which users receive within mere minutes.
Chat-Led Workflow
Origami positions itself as a modern alternative for early-stage sales development tasks, such as identifying target accounts, enriching contact records, and filtering prospects based on relevance and engagement signals. Its interface is designed to resemble modern messaging applications rather than traditional sales software.
The startup is targeting a rapidly growing market as sales teams increasingly adopt tools for prospect research and enrichment. Established competitors include Clay, Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and ZoomInfo. Clay is notably popular for its enrichment capabilities that pull from various data sources, while Apollo and ZoomInfo function primarily as extensive databases of contacts and companies.
Origami contends that database-driven systems have limitations, especially for businesses with minimal digital presence or those seeking more insight-driven prospecting. The company criticizes Apollo and ZoomInfo for relying heavily on indexed corporate profiles and data sourced from LinkedIn, which can yield limited results for small to medium-sized enterprises and niche markets.
According to its product details, Origami adopts a novel method, performing real-time research across over 15 data sources. These encompass permits, job postings, review sites, local directories, LinkedIn, and other tech-related signals. Furthermore, it emphasizes built-in prospecting based on funding, hiring trends, and relevant news.
Early Uptake
Origami experienced organic growth during January and February 2026 without any paid marketing investment. By February, the startup surpassed 1,000 signups after being recognized as “Product of the Day” on Product Hunt.
In the weeks following its launch, the company received numerous unsolicited inquiries from enterprises and noted that several free users upgraded to paid plans during their onboarding process.
Anecdotal feedback from early users suggests a positive comparison to existing prospecting tools. Venkat Arun, Co-founder of Datafruit, remarked, “We were previously using Clay to generate lead lists – this is way easier to use.”
Others echoed similar sentiments regarding the complexity of competing tools. Iskander, creator of CreateWithPlay, stated, “It’s like if Clay didn’t require a whole university course to use.”
Some users viewed it as a significant shift in the market category. “Origami is what happens when you take Clay’s capabilities and strip away the need for a degree to use it – early users are calling it the end of spreadsheet-based prospecting,” noted the company’s press release.
Competitive Claims
Comparisons with competitors illustrate the product’s advantages. Lewis Starrett, from Matey.Ai, said, “This has to be one of the coolest pieces of GTM tech I’ve used. Zero issues so far and pulling in more people than ZoomInfo, even with the same filters.”
Another user shared a success story related to employment searches: “I tried both Sales Navigator and Apify to find people who were ‘open to work’ but couldn’t. Origami was able to do it,” said Bilal Yousuf, Co-founder and CEO of LineSight.
Origami also highlighted claims of tangible commercial benefits from users. “We just closed a partnership from a lead we got from Origami,” stated Joseph Risi of MDRC.
One user mentioned the potential return on investment: “Probably unlocked a few million in spend via that list created from Origami. So yes, that’s quite a return,” mentioned Osiris, Founding Sales and Growth at Affiniti.
Observations within teams indicate a viral adoption effect, with trial users inviting colleagues. “I can’t describe how impressed I’ve been with Origami since I began exploring it last night. I have 3-4 other colleagues who will be signing up for the trial soon,” shared Kevin Brown, VP/GM of the QP Hydraulics Division at Prince Industries.
Founders and Build
Origami was co-founded by Finn Mallery (CEO), Kenson Chung (President), and Rahul Chandler (CTO). The founding engineering team consists of Austin Kennedy, Bram Lebovitz, Sunny Chung, Charlie Mallery, and Anders Groeschel.
The product’s focus on “conversational prospecting” is intended to minimize reliance on complex tables and filtering processes in early sales research. The company anticipates that many sales teams will favor requesting leads in straightforward language rather than managing a cumbersome multi-step enrichment process across various tools.
“The founders refer to it as ‘conversational prospecting’ – the spreadsheet is still available, but the AI handles the heavy lifting,” the company noted.
Origami has begun attracting enterprise interest early in its growth cycle and anticipates further evaluations against traditional prospecting and enrichment tools as more teams adopt its offering.
