Profound

Profound is a New York marketing-technology company that helps brands understand and improve how they appear in AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews—often described as answer-engine or generative-engine optimization (AEO/GEO). Launched around 2024, Profound started as an analytics layer for AI search visibility and expanded into research and marketing-strategy workflows so enterprises can track competitor presence, create content strategies and measure how AI systems recommend their products. The company reports more than 1,000 enterprise customers including Comcast, The Estée Lauder Companies and Walmart, with revenue said to have grown about 3x in six months ahead of its latest round. In September 2026 Profound raised a $180 million Series D led by Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after a $96 million Series C, with existing backers including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures and South Park Commons also participating. Sources: TechCrunch 15 Sep 2026.