AEO Startup Profound Raises $180M Series D at $1.8B Valuation
Profound, which builds marketing software to help brands appear in AI search results, raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after its $96 million Series C.
Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the Series D, according to TechCrunch AI. Existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures and South Park Commons also participated. The new financing values Profound at $1.8 billion and marks a unicorn valuation for the company.
Profound launched two years ago as an analytics platform. It has since expanded to help companies research and create marketing strategies. The company says it helps businesses understand how AI helps consumers discover their brands.
It is part of a wave of startups in the GEO/AEO space—generative engine optimization and answer engine optimization—where companies try to find ways to surface their products in the AI systems customers increasingly use for search.
Profound says its revenue has increased by 3x in the past six months. It says it now has more than 1,000 enterprise customers, including Comcast, The Estée Lauder Companies and Walmart.
Editor's Summary
Profound raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation less than seven months after its $96 million Series C. Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the round, with existing investors Lightspeed, Khosla Ventures and South Park Commons also participating. The company says revenue tripled in six months and it now has more than 1,000 enterprise customers, including Comcast, Estée Lauder and Walmart.