Merge

Merge builds integration infrastructure for software companies developing customer-facing products and enterprises deploying AI for employees. Merge Unified connects products to hundreds of business applications through one API. Agent Handler gives agents authenticated access to third-party tools, while Gateway handles model routing, fallback, cost controls and request monitoring. Perplexity uses Agent Handler to expand the data connectors available to Enterprise Pro users.

Shensi Ding and Gil Feig founded Merge in 2020 after encountering integration problems at different B2B companies. Ding saw integration requirements block sales at Expanse; Feig faced repeated customer requests for applicant-tracking-system integrations as Head of Engineering at Jumpstart. Merge’s answer was to normalize disparate systems into a unified API and provide tools for managing integration issues. That foundation subsequently expanded into AI infrastructure: synchronized business data supplies context, while live tool calls let agents retrieve current information and take actions.

Merge’s Universal Context Layer, part of Merge for Workforce, syncs and vectorizes company data ahead of time. Agents search a pre-indexed knowledge base across connected systems rather than making a live API call for every question, and return answers with sources. Requests run under the employee’s existing permissions. Agent Handler complements that retrieval layer with credentials isolated by user or service account, configurable bundles of permitted tools, and sensitive-data checks on tool-call arguments and responses. This separates access to company knowledge from authenticated actions while giving teams controls over both.