Profound Secures $35M Series B as AI Search Reshapes Digital Marketing Landscape

Profound, an AI-driven marketing platform focused on the emerging "post-SEO" landscape, has raised $35 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital, bringing the company’s total funding to $58.5 million [1]. The startup, which aims to help brands maintain visibility in AI-generated search responses, has attracted major clients including Ramp, US Bank, Indeed, MongoDB, DocuSign, and Chime, with 2,000 marketers using its platform daily across over 500 organizations [1].

The investment marks a significant milestone in a rapidly evolving digital landscape where AI chatbots are beginning to dominate search behavior. According to the Wall Street Journal, AI-powered chatbots accounted for more than 5% of U.S. desktop search traffic in early 2025, up from 1.3% in early 2024 [1]. Profound is positioning itself at the intersection of this shift, offering tools to monitor how brands appear in AI-generated content and to optimize content for AI consumption.

Sequoia partner Anas Biad praised the speed and execution of Profound’s co-founders, James Cadwallader and Dylan Potts, describing them as “remarkable” in both product development and customer acquisition [1]. Cadwallader, who previously founded influencer marketing firm Kyra, likens the transition from traditional SEO to AI-driven search as a “Game of Thrones power shift.” He argues that brands must now optimize for AI models, creating highly structured content tailored for bots rather than human readers [1].

Profound’s platform tracks mentions of brands across major AI models, including ChatGPT, Grok, LLaMA, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. The company is set to expand its monitoring capabilities with the addition of DeepSeek. Using advanced reasoning models such as OpenAI’s o3 and GPT-5, the platform analyzes data to produce actionable insights for brands, ranging from content creation to optimization strategies [1].

The implications of AI-driven search extend beyond marketing, influencing public relations, customer support, and brand perception. Cadwallader emphasized that AI models now reflect the internet’s collective opinions, making visibility in AI-generated content a broader business issue that touches revenue, customer acquisition, and brand identity [1].

Looking ahead, Cadwallader envisions a future where AI assistants facilitate transactions without the need for traditional clicks, potentially disrupting even large players like Amazon. He draws inspiration from the rise of cloud software in the early 2000s, suggesting that AI search could have a similarly transformative effect on digital marketing [1].

The rise of AI search is reshaping the internet itself, creating a new frontier for marketers to navigate. As AI chatbots continue to capture a growing share of search traffic, Profound’s mission to help brands adapt is not just about staying visible—it’s about maintaining control in a world where content is increasingly created for bots.