Profound, a startup specializing in software that helps brands appear in AI-driven search results, announced on Tuesday that it has closed a $180 million Series D financing round. The investment values the company at $1.8 billion, marking its entry into unicorn status.
This latest capital raise comes just seven months after the company completed a $96 million Series C. Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the new round, with participation from existing backers Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and South Park Commons.
Founded two years ago, Profound initially launched as an analytics platform before expanding its capabilities to assist businesses in researching and developing marketing strategies. The firm helps companies understand how artificial intelligence influences consumer discovery of their brands.
Profound operates within the growing generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) sector. These frameworks focus on helping products surface in AI systems that customers are increasingly adopting for search queries, replacing traditional search engines.
According to the company, its revenue has tripled over the past six months. Profound now serves more than 1,000 enterprise clients, including major names such as Comcast, The Estée Lauder Companies, and Walmart.
Unicorn in two years is insane speed. How are traditional SEO agencies coping with this sudden shift to answer engines?
Another GEO startup? I just hope this isn’t the exact same bubble we saw with generative AI search three months ago.