Profound has raised $180 million in Series D funding at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after closing a $96 million Series C. Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins led the new round, with Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures and South Park Commons also participating.
The two-year-old company builds software for generative engine optimization and answer engine optimization, often shortened to GEO and AEO. These tools help businesses understand how AI-powered search and answer systems present their brands, then research and develop marketing strategies for that channel.
Profound began as an analytics product before expanding into strategy and content-related workflows. The company says revenue has tripled during the past six months and that it now serves more than 1,000 enterprise customers, including Comcast, Estée Lauder and Walmart.
The rapid second raise reflects investor interest in the emerging layer of businesses trying to influence and measure AI-mediated discovery. It does not establish how durable that market will be as search products and ranking methods change. Profound’s revenue growth and customer totals are company-reported, and TechCrunch’s report did not disclose the startup’s current revenue or the terms beyond the valuation and round size.