Profound Reportedly Raises $180 Million at $1.8 Billion Valuation to Boost Brand Visibility in AI Search Engines

Profound, a company specializing in enhancing brand visibility within AI-driven search engines, has raised $180 million in funding at a reported valuation of $1.8 billion, signaling the emergence of a new specialized market known as AI Search Optimization.

The company works to help brands and organizations ensure their proper appearance when users consult tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews instead of traditional keyword-based search.

The round reportedly attracted prominent investors amid a noticeable shift in global user behavior toward querying AI interfaces directly instead of traditional search engine results pages, threatening a major share of organic traffic that companies have relied on for decades.

This funding highlights the emergence of a nascent sector where digital marketers compete to secure their brands' presence in AI responses, just as they once did with traditional SEO, with expectations that this market will grow rapidly in the coming years.

What do these terms mean?

AI Search Optimization: A strategy ensuring a brand's appearance in responses from AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, just as SEO ensures visibility in Google results. Valuation: The estimated total value of a company based on its latest funding round, which is not necessarily its value in the public market.