Research note for Heni, Sunday 18 October 2026. Public sources only. Small numbers in brackets point to the source list at the end.
Who is behind Tab (tab.bot)
Tab is the AI assistant you text on iMessage or WhatsApp. It came out of stealth on 7 October 2026 at a $300 million valuation, with three founders: Brennan Erbz, Stafford Schlitt and Ammar Amdani.[1]
The short version
- Brennan Erbz is the product and engineering founder: ex Snap (2016 to 2018), co-founder of the NFLPA-licensed collectibles app Hashletes (2017 to 2019), Y Combinator W20, and in 2026 CEO of the generative AI studio Flik before (or alongside) Tab.[5] [9] [13]
- Stafford Schlitt is the operator: Co-Founder and COO. Crypto infrastructure and growth background (Riot Platforms, Ethernity Chain), then COO and co-founder of Flik with Erbz.[6] [17]
- Ammar Amdani is the investor: co-founded Adapt Ventures with his brother Mohammed in 2020, Forbes 30 Under 30 (2023, Venture Capital), an early backer of Clara, Italic and Wander, and Adapt itself is a pre-seed investor in Flik. He is Tab's public voice in the launch press.[26] [24] [1]
- The three have worked together before Tab: Erbz and Schlitt built Flik, and Amdani's fund backed it.[24] [13]
1. Brennan Erbz
Founder and CEO. Based in the United States, listed as SF and LA. Also appears under his full surname, Erbeznik, on some aggregator sites.[5] [22]
Career
- Snap Inc, 2016 to 2018. His LinkedIn lists Engineering and Research at Snapchat.[5] Third-party founder directories describe the role as product designer; LinkedIn is the primary record.[23] [22]
- Hashletes, co-founder, 2017 to 2019. A blockchain-based digital collectibles and fantasy football app. In November 2018 it struck a licensing deal with the NFL Players Association through the union's OneTeam Collective, issuing 25,000 tokens per NFL player, with the NFLPA taking a minority stake.[19] His co-founders were Vance Spencer and Michael Anderson, who went on to found the crypto fund Framework Ventures; Framework's site says Hashletes was "launched and sold" (2018 to 2019), and Erbz's own X bio says "Built and sold Hashletes".[20] [9] Other accounts say the NFLPA partnership "hit a snag" and the product shut down after about a year; the buyer is not named anywhere I found.[21]
- Y Combinator, W20 batch. His X bio says "YC W20" and LinkedIn lists Y Combinator under education.[9] [5] Aggregator sites name the company as Terrasoft, "an AI and e-commerce marketplace" in Los Angeles; YC's own directory page for it returned nothing, so treat Terrasoft as unverified.[23] [22]
- Flik, co-founder and CEO, 2026. A generative AI "creative operating system" that produces finished films, ads, music and games from a prompt. Launched publicly in April 2026 with a 50,000-person waitlist, backed by A. Capital, SV Angel, Y Combinator and angels (company press release).[14] In a June 2026 interview the founders said the waitlist reached about 50,000 and that annual revenue went "from about $300,000 to $2.5 million in the last three weeks" (their own figures, not audited).[13]
- Tab, founder, 2026. LinkedIn shows "Founder, Stealth" from January 2026 (a placeholder company page shared with Schlitt), not Tab by name.[5] [4]
Press, talks and interviews
- Schwab Network video interview as Flik CEO: "AI's next big shift, impact to startups and productivity".[15]
- PureLogics Pulse interview: "Agents at work: what no one is telling executives".[16]
- Haute Living Q and A (June 2026) and a NYLON feature (May 2026, partner content) on Flik, both with Schlitt.[13] [12]
Public presence and what he says about Tab
- X: @BrennanErbz. Bio: "Founder of Tab @tabdotbot. Ex-Snap. YC W20. Built and sold Hashletes." A post shown on his profile reads: "The gap between good and great products isn't 2x usage. It's 10x. You don't play your favorite song once. You play it 100 times."[9]
- LinkedIn, about 8 October 2026, the day after launch: "If anyone is having issues with Tab, or Tab is misbehaving or being slow, please give us 60 min. We've had unprecedented demand and usage", followed by a note that issues were resolved and capacity scaled.[8]
2. Stafford Schlitt
Co-Founder and COO. Los Angeles, listed as SF and LA. X bio: "Founder of Tab. LA/SF."[6] [10]
Career
- Riot Platforms, 2014 to 2016 (LinkedIn).[6] His own bio says he founded a Bitcoin mining operation in Oklahoma "engineered around low-cost electricity economics" and sold it to Riot (NASDAQ: RIOT).[17] Riot's own investor material confirms it ran an Oklahoma City mining facility from early 2018 to mid 2020, but I found no public record naming his operation as the asset Riot bought, so the sale is his claim, not independently verified.[18]
- Flagship Endeavors, 2016 to 2018 and Little West, 2018 to 2020 (LinkedIn, no detail given).[6]
- Ethernity Chain, 2021 to 2023. Led growth at the NFT platform "through multiple exits", in his words.[6] [17]
- Flik, co-founder and COO, 2026. Runs operations, growth and go-to-market. In interviews he is the voice on trust and IP: "the maker's IP is sacred", no training on users' work, and a push to make likeness rights enforceable at the point of generation.[17] [12]
- Tab, Co-Founder and COO, 2026. LinkedIn: "Co-Founder and COO, Stealth" from January 2026, the same placeholder company as Erbz.[6]
Press and public presence
- Interviewed alongside Erbz in Haute Living (June 2026) and NYLON (May 2026); quoted on the Flik waitlist and revenue figures above.[13] [12]
- The two met "years ago at a dinner in Los Angeles, introduced by a mutual friend" (NYLON).[12]
- X: @StaffordSchlitt, bio "Founder of Tab. LA/SF. tab.bot". I could not read his posts without a login.[10]
- No podcasts or talks in his own name found.
3. Ammar Amdani
Co-Founder. San Francisco Bay Area. The investor of the three, and the founder quoted in the launch coverage.[7] [1]
Career and education
- Started in venture at RLC Ventures in London, and co-founded an e-commerce apparel company called Sugar. He was 22 in February 2021, so around 27 or 28 now.[28] NFX Signal lists him in the New York University network; I found no primary confirmation of his degree.[31]
- Adapt Ventures, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, 2020 to 2026. An early-stage fund and venture studio founded with his brother Mohammed (ex Plug and Play Ventures), based in New York and San Francisco, investing in the US and Latin America. Forbes puts assets under management at $30 million.[7] [29] [26] F4 Fund lists its cheque size as $250,000 to $350,000, leading and following.[30] His LinkedIn now shows the role as ended in 2026 and his headline as "Stealth"; Tab is not named.[7]
- Tab, Co-Founder, 2026. His X bio reads "Co-Founder @Tabdotbot".[11]
Investments (Adapt Ventures)
Adapt's website lists 63 portfolio companies as of today, of which 12 are marked acquired and 1 IPO.[24] Highlights, with the stage Adapt entered at:
- Clara (corporate cards for Latin America, seed; now Series B, a unicorn per Forbes), Italic (Series A), Wander (pre-seed; $50m Series B in June 2025), Sanas (seed; $65m Series B in Feb 2025), Graza olive oil (pre-seed), Levels.fyi (seed), On Deck (seed), Pogo (pre-seed), Archy (pre-seed; $20m Series B, Oct 2025).[24] [25] [26]
- Exits listed: Clay (acquired by Automattic, June 2025), Rollfi (acquired by Priority, Jan 2025), Smartrr (acquired by Relay Commerce, Feb 2025), Arctype (to ClickHouse), Capital, Embed, Heroes Jobs, Laskie, Lighthouse, Revv, Symba, Vibely; Marti (Turkish mobility super app) listed as IPO.[24] [25]
- Also on the list: a Series E position in SpaceX, and Flik (pre-seed, Los Angeles), the company Erbz and Schlitt founded.[24]
- Incubated: Pluto (corporate cards for the Middle East), Boundless, Heritage, Mora Health.[24] [26]
Recognition, press and podcasts
- Forbes 30 Under 30 2023, Venture Capital, with his brother ("24, 27, Cofounders, Adapt Ventures").[27] [26]
- Business Insider's "Gen Z VCs" list, February 2021, at 22.[28]
- Guest on Gaper's Founders Grit podcast, on the growth of remote employment.[32]
- Authority Magazine interview with both brothers: "5 things we need to see more of in the venture capital industry" (page would not load for me; listed from search).[33]
What he says about Tab
To TechCrunch: "You text it like you'd text someone you trust and it takes the weight off. The bills, the bookings, the calls you keep putting off, remembering the people you love. It has its own phone number, computer, and wallet, so it doesn't tell you how to do those things. It does them." And on the race in consumer AI: "Capability is table stakes. Trust is the product."[1]
Tab, the company
- Launch. Announced out of stealth on Tuesday 6 October 2026; TechCrunch's piece ran on 7 October (Dominic-Madori Davis). Valuation $300 million; the company declined to give the round size. Investors named: SV Angel, Valar Ventures and American Spirit.[1] Crypto Briefing calls it a pre-seed valuation and notes the product is still behind a waitlist.[2] SV Angel also backed Flik.[14]
- Product claims (its own site and the founders): an AI you text in Messages or WhatsApp that has "its own phone number, computer, and wallet", makes calls, books, buys with your approval, and follows up. Trust promises: data not used to train AI, the card lives in a vault Tab never sees, nothing irreversible without a yes.[3] [1]
- Growth. Mostly word of mouth, with a new product promised "soon" (Amdani, TechCrunch). Erbz reported "unprecedented demand" the day after launch.[1] [8]
- Team size. LinkedIn company page: San Francisco, size band 2 to 10, 9 followers, and no employee has linked a profile to it yet; the three founders still show "Stealth" or Adapt Ventures.[4]
- Critics. An AI-written AInvest column argues a $300m pre-seed is "a price on rented distribution", since the product lives inside Apple's and Meta's messaging apps. Opinion, not reporting.[34]
What I could not verify
- The Tab round size and who led it. TechCrunch says the company declined to share; a secondary site says SV Angel led, which TechCrunch does not say.
- Hashletes' sale: who bought it, and for what. Framework and Erbz say sold; other accounts say it shut down.
- Schlitt's Oklahoma mining business and its sale to Riot: his own bio only.
- Terrasoft (Erbz's YC W20 company): aggregator sites only; YC's directory page did not resolve.
- Flik's revenue figures and whether Flik continues alongside Tab: founders' own statements; Flik's site blocked my reads.
- Amdani's degree. Crunchbase and PitchBook blocked all reads, so nothing here comes from them.
- X posts by all three: only the bios were readable without a login.
Sources
Every source was opened on 18 October 2026 unless marked otherwise.
- TechCrunch, 7 Oct 2026: Another personal AI assistant has launched, meet Tab, which emerged from stealth with a $300M valuation
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/07/another-personal-ai-assistant-has-launched-meet-tab-which-emerged-from-stealth-with-a-300m-valuation/ - Crypto Briefing, Oct 2026: Tab exits stealth at a $300 million valuation
https://cryptobriefing.com/tab-ai-assistant-300m-valuation-stealth/ - tab.bot, the product's own site
https://tab.bot/ - LinkedIn company page for Tab (tabdotbot), public view and Apify read on 18 Oct 2026
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tabdotbot - LinkedIn, Brennan Erbz (public profile, read via Apify on 18 Oct 2026)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennanerbz - LinkedIn, Stafford Schlitt (public profile, read via Apify on 18 Oct 2026)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stafford-schlitt-b93403190 - LinkedIn, Ammar Amdani (public profile, read via Apify on 18 Oct 2026)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammaramdani - LinkedIn post by Brennan Erbz, about 8 Oct 2026: If anyone is having issues with Tab
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brennanerbz_if-anyone-is-having-issues-with-tab-or-tab-activity-7514055132507029504-s_74 - X, @BrennanErbz (profile bio as shown in search results; the profile page itself did not load without a login)
https://x.com/BrennanErbz - X, @StaffordSchlitt (profile bio as shown in search results)
https://x.com/StaffordSchlitt - X, @ammaramdani (bio Co-Founder @Tabdotbot, as read by an earlier pass on 18 Oct 2026)
https://x.com/ammaramdani - NYLON, 26 May 2026: Flik's founders want everyone to build their own creative empire (partner content: the page states BDG's newsroom was not involved)
https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/fliks-founders-want-everyone-to-build-their-own-creative-empire - Haute Living, 10 Jun 2026: Flik founders Brennan Erbz and Stafford Schlitt on Hollywood's AI future
https://hauteliving.com/2026/06/flik-founders-brennan-erbz-and-stafford-schlitt-on-hollywoods-ai-future/ - Business Wire, 8 Apr 2026: Flik unveils breakthrough generative AI agent with 50,000 already on waitlist (company press release)
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260408189442/en/Flik-Unveils-Breakthrough-Generative-AI-Agent - Schwab Network on YouTube: Flik CEO on AI's next big shift (interview with Brennan Erbz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nZnm-KSXbY - PureLogics Pulse on YouTube: Agents at Work, what no one is telling executives, Brennan Erbz, Flik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19OfzefS65g - Qwoted source profile: Stafford Schlitt, COO and Co-Founder at Flik (his own bio)
https://app.qwoted.com/sources/stafford-schlitt - Riot Blockchain investor deck, April 2021 (Riot ran a mining facility in Oklahoma City from early 2018 to mid 2020)
https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_87f293457a50abdc239c88c4caf1e5c3/riotblockchain/db/447/4128/pdf/RIOT+HCW+Deck+4-21-21+v4.pdf - SportsPro, 2 Nov 2018: NFL players become latest to trade in crypto collectibles (Hashletes and the NFLPA)
https://www.sportspro.com/news/nfl-players-crypto-collectibles-blockchain-hashletes-deal/ - Framework Ventures team page (Vance Spencer and Michael Anderson launched and sold Hashletes, 2018 to 2019)
https://www.framework.ventures/team - David Gerard, 17 Apr 2022: NBA Top Shot, a short history (Hashletes shut down after a year, citing Forbes 2019)
https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2022/04/17/nba-top-shot-a-short-history-of-the-largest-mainstream-nft-project/ - me.sh aggregator profile, Brennan Erbeznik (Terrasoft, Hashletes); third-party summary, not primary
https://me.sh/profile/brennan-erbeznik - No Cap blog founder page, Brennan Erbz (YC W20, Terrasoft, Snap); third-party summary, not primary
https://nocap.blog/founder/brennan-erbz/ - Adapt Ventures website, Companies page (63 companies listed on 18 Oct 2026)
https://adaptvc.com/companies - Adapt Ventures website, Press page
https://adaptvc.com/press - Forbes profile: Adapt Ventures, by Jeff Kauflin (30 Under 30 2023, Venture Capital)
https://www.forbes.com/profile/adapt-ventures/ - Forbes 30 Under 30 2023, Venture Capital list
https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2023/venture-capital/ - Business Insider, Feb 2021: Gen Z VCs, meet the top 29 up-and-comers changing venture capital
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-29-gen-z-vcs-changing-venture-capital-2021-2 - The Inquisitive VC, 24 Nov 2020: Mohammed Amdani, Adapt Ventures
https://theinquisitivevc.substack.com/p/mohammed-amdani-adapt-ventures - F4 Fund firm profile: Adapt Ventures (thesis, cheque size)
https://f4.fund/firms/adapt-ventures - NFX Signal investor profile: Ammar Amdani
https://signal.nfx.com/investors/ammar-amdani - Gaper, Founders Grit podcast: Ammar Amdani on the growth of remote employment
https://gaper.io/podcast/founder-grit/speaker/ammar-amdani - Authority Magazine (Medium): Ammar and Mohammed Amdani of Adapt Ventures, 5 things we need to see more of in venture capital (page blocked a plain fetch; cited from its search listing only)
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/ammar-mohammed-amdani-of-adapt-ventures-5-things-we-need-to-see-more-of-in-the-venture-capital-industry - AInvest, 7 Oct 2026: Tab's $300 million pre-seed is a price on rented distribution (AI-generated commentary, opinion)
https://www.ainvest.com/news/tab-300-million-pre-seed-price-rented-distribution-2610/
Compiled by Tab for Heni. Professional background only; nothing personal was collected.