Profound raises $180 million at a $1.8 billion valuation
Startup Profound, which develops marketing software to help brands appear in artificial intelligence-powered search results, has raised $180 million in a Series D round. The company was valued at $1.8 billion, TechCrunch reports.
New investment round
The Series D round was led by Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins. Existing investors in the company also participated in the financing, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and South Park Commons.
The new round came less than seven months after the previous capital raise: Profound then received $96 million in a Series C round.
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Optimization for AI search
Profound launched two years ago as an analytics platform. Since then, the company has expanded its product to help businesses research and create marketing strategies. The platform helps companies understand how artificial intelligence systems enable consumers to find their brands.
The startup operates in the GEO and AEO segments — optimization for generative systems and answer engines, respectively. Such companies seek to make brands' products more visible in AI systems that users are increasingly using for search.
According to Profound, its revenue tripled over the past six months. The company also said it has more than 1,000 enterprise customers, including Comcast, The Estée Lauder Companies, and Walmart.
