One of the main reasons Slack Technologies Inc.’s messaging service has become so popular is its support for chatbots, which can automate various day-to-day tasks. Astro Technology Inc., a startup that exited stealth mode on Thursday, is working to bring the same experience to email.

Its efforts are supported by $8.3 million in funding from a group of investors that includes early Netflix Inc. and Twilio Inc. backer Redpoint Ventures. Astro announced the investment on Thursday in conjunction with the launch of its product, a cross-platform email client with an embedded artificial intelligence. The bot runs in a dedicated chat window next to the inbox and can take natural-language commands just like its counterparts on Slack.

Astrobot, as it’s called, aims to automate many of the most time-consuming chores involved in managing emails. A user can have the assistant archive messages after a certain period of time to clear up their inbox, ask it to unsubscribe from newsletters that are no long relevant and set follow-up reminders. The latter features lends itself to handling not only emails but also numerous other business activities, which provides a glimpse into Astrobot’s long-term ambitions.

The startup plans to expand its platform from a simple inbox to a centralized place to handle every core aspect of day-to-day work. First, however, Astro will have to establish itself in the fiercely competition email automation market, which has dozens of other contenders vying for a slice of the pie. Among them is a startup called Nimble Inc. that earlier this week closed a $9 million funding round of its own led by Mark Cuban’s Radical Investments.

Astro is on track to give its rivals a run for their money. In an update posted on the startup’s blog shortly after the funding announcement hit the headlines, co-founder and Chief Executive Andy Pflaum revealed that its public beta program has already reached “full capacity” thanks to high demand.

Image: Astro