In a world where AI-driven search results are increasingly influencing consumer decisions, brands face the challenge of maintaining control over how they are perceived in this evolving digital landscape. Profound, a New York-based startup, is positioning itself as a crucial tool for companies striving to understand and enhance their visibility in AI-generated search outcomes.
Founded by James Cadwallader and Dylan Babbs earlier this year, Profound was born from the duo’s fascination with the shifting dynamics of online search brought about by AI advancements. The two met at the startup incubator South Park Commons, where they bonded over their shared vision of the future of search. Cadwallader, leveraging his experience as the former founder of Kyra, a data-driven influencer marketing agency, recognized a pressing need for brands to adapt to this new era.
“In this new world of AI answers, how does Nike understand and control how they show up? If I’m asking ChatGPT for a running sneaker, it will give me four or five suggestions,” Cadwallader explained. “Nike spends $4 billion a year on marketing, and hundreds of millions of people are using these AI answers to research products and brands on a daily basis. How do we show up in the new world?”
Profound offers a dynamic platform that tracks common search queries related to brands, allowing companies to monitor and adjust their online presence in real-time. For instance, a company in the automotive industry could use Profound to track searches like “What is the best SUV?” and gain insights into how their brand is ranked by AI systems. The platform also provides granular data, enabling users to explore how search results vary by demographic or how AI systems assess the trustworthiness of content related to specific products.
The startup is already gaining traction despite its early-stage status. It has secured $3.5 million in seed funding from a round led by notable investors, including Keith Rabois through Khosla Ventures, Saga, South Park Commons, and angel investors like Scott Belsky and Balaji S. Srinivasan. Profound is currently working with a major branding agency and has two additional contracts in progress, signalling strong early demand for its services.
Ben Braverman, a co-founder and managing partner at Saga, was drawn to Profound after meeting Cadwallader at South Park Commons. “As soon as you start talking to [Cadwallader] about what he is building, the energy is dripping off this guy,” Braverman said. “The more time I spent with him, a delightful human being, talking about where the puck was moving in AI, it was a lightbulb moment, I have to spend more time with this person.”
Braverman’s confidence in Profound’s potential is further bolstered by the startup’s strategic approach to building a competitive moat. By offering unique, cutting-edge technology that helps brands navigate the complexities of AI search, Profound aims to make itself indispensable to its clients, thereby discouraging them from developing similar solutions in-house.
However, the landscape is competitive, and Profound is not alone in recognizing the need for AI search visibility tools. As AI continues to reshape the digital marketing space, existing SEO firms, marketing agencies, and new startups will likely join the fray, each vying to carve out a niche in this burgeoning field.
Cadwallader remains confident in Profound’s mission, emphasizing the universal need for such technology. “In this new world, every company, every business across every industry is going to want to know how they show up in AI answers,” he said. “Profound will be the solution that every company in the world uses every day to understand how these AI systems are talking about them.”
