Contemporary off a $20 million Sequence A funding spherical, AI startup Profound’s core product helps manufacturers audit AI search outcomes utilizing sector-specific queries.
Within the case of economic operations platform Ramp, Profound requested fintech-related queries to see what sources platforms like Perplexity or ChatGPT floor in response. Profound’s tech confirmed gaps in visibility and content material. To enhance this, Ramp rewrote web site copy, together with focused pages like Accounts Payable Software program for Small Companies. Consequently, Ramp’s visibility in AI-generated solutions within the accounts payable class jumped from 3.2% to 22.2%.
“They went from actually being invisible on ChatGPT to being talked about 20% of the time,” mentioned Profound CEO James Cadwallader.
Profound’s funding, introduced final week, was led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from NVentures (NVIDIA’s enterprise arm), Khosla Ventures, Saga VC, South Park Commons, and SV Angel.
The corporate, lower than a 12 months outdated, is presently valued at greater than $100 million—simply 10 months after closing a $3.5 million seed spherical, mentioned Cadwallader.
AI is upending how folks seek for info on-line. In accordance with Profound’s funding pitch deck, obtained by ADWEEK, 10% of U.S. web customers now flip to AI serps first when looking on-line. Profound goals to help manufacturers throughout generative promoting, shoppability, and agentic browsers, amongst others.
Profound is utilizing the funding to develop its product suite. Latest instruments embody a crawler detector that alerts manufacturers when AI bots go to their web sites, and a Dialog Quantity Explorer that tracks how typically—and in what context—folks question a model or associated subjects throughout AI serps.
“Combining all of that, the subsequent massive step for us is constructing a suggestion system that pulls from all these information sources to create content material recommendations,” mentioned Cadwallader. “That was a giant piece of the $20 million we raised.”
Profound is working with over 100 manufacturers, together with Certainly, U.S. Financial institution, and Mejuri, up from 20 final 12 months, in line with Cadwallader.
Try the pitch deck beneath.
