Executive Summary

  • Company Name: Profound
  • URL: https://www.tryprofound.com/
  • One-Sentence Description: Profound is an AI-powered "Answer Engine Optimization" (AEO) platform that helps enterprise brands gain visibility in AI-generated answers and optimize their presence in LLM-based answer engines.
  • Key Business Metrics: 33 employees, with rapid growth over the past year. Raised a $3.5M seed round in August 2024, a $20M Series A in June 2025, and a $35M Series B in August 2025.
  • Primary Value Proposition: Profound helps brands control how they appear in AI search results on platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, turning a "black box" into a source of actionable insights and competitive advantage.

Company Overview

  • Business Model: B2B SaaS platform targeting enterprise brands and marketing agencies. Pricing is customized for enterprise clients.
  • Target Market: Enterprise brands and marketing agencies looking to improve their visibility in AI search engines.
  • Product/Service Portfolio:
    • Answer Engine Insights: Tracks brand mentions and analyzes how AI describes a brand.
    • Agent Analytics: Provides real-time tracking of how AI bots crawl and interpret a website.
    • Conversation Explorer: Analyzes AI keyword and topic volume.
    • Shopping Analysis: Optimizes product visibility in AI commerce features.
    • Content Creation & Actions: Provides strategic recommendations and helps create AI-optimized content.
  • Geographic Presence: Headquartered in New York, with employees primarily in North America. The platform supports global coverage across 50+ countries and 15+ languages.

Performance Metrics

  • Employee Count and Growth Trends: Currently 33 employees, up from 0 in September 2024. This indicates very rapid growth.
  • Funding History:
    • Seed Round: $3.5M in August 2024, led by Saga Ventures.
    • Series A: $20M in June 2025, led by Kleiner Perkins.
    • Series B: $35M in August 2025, led by Sequoia Capital.
  • Key Performance Indicators:
    • Website Visits: 91,800 monthly visits, with a global rank of 338,307.
    • Customer Growth: Adopted by "thousands of marketers at Fortune 100 brands," with notable customers including Ramp, MongoDB, and Indeed.
  • Social Media Presence: Active on LinkedIn with 5,109 followers and Twitter.

Leadership Team

  • Founders and Key Executives:
    • James Cadwallader: Co-Founder & CEO
    • Dylan Babbs: Co-Founder & CTO
    • Charles Zhou: Founding Engineer
    • Joseph Turtel: Chief of Staff
  • Professional Backgrounds and Expertise:
    • Dylan Babbs (Co-Founder & CTO): Experience as a Senior Design Engineer at Uber and Technical Product Manager at Here Technologies. Holds a Bachelor of Science in Informatics from the University of Washington.
  • Team Composition: The team has a strong technical focus, with 8 employees in the technical department.

Competitive Landscape

  • Direct Competitors and Alternatives: The competitive landscape includes a mix of AI-powered marketing tools, specialized search engines, and advanced SEO platforms. Key similar companies include:
    • ProQuo AI: A marketing and consumer insights platform.
    • Metaphor Systems: A search engine that uses large language models.
    • Quattr: An SEO platform that uses AI to drive traffic.
    • CopyAI: An AI-powered copywriting tool.
  • Market Positioning and Differentiation: Profound positions itself as a comprehensive, enterprise-grade AEO platform with exclusive features like real-time AI bot tracking and AI conversation analysis. Their focus on providing a strategic partnership with dedicated AI Search Strategists also sets them apart.
  • Competitive Advantages: Strong backing from top-tier VCs, a technically strong founding team, and a growing roster of high-profile enterprise customers.

Recent Developments

  • Latest Funding Announcements:
    • Series B: $35M led by Sequoia Capital (August 2025).
    • Series A: $20M led by Kleiner Perkins (June 2025).
  • Product Updates and Launches:
    • Content Creation Templates: Introduced in August 2025 to help marketers create publish-ready content optimized for AEO.
    • Conversation Explorer: General availability announced in June 2025.
    • Support for Google AI Mode: Introduced in June 2025.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Partnership with Amsive, a performance marketing agency, to expand their AEO capabilities.
  • Industry Recognition: Mentioned by the CEO of Reddit during their Q2 2025 earnings call.

Key Insights

  • Notable Strengths and Opportunities:
    • Strong Investor Backing: Successfully raised significant funding from top-tier VCs, indicating strong market confidence.
    • Rapid Growth: Significant growth in headcount and customer adoption in a short period.
    • First-Mover Advantage: Positioned as a pioneer in the emerging AEO category.
  • Potential Risks or Challenges:
    • Nascent Market: The AEO market is still new and evolving, which could present unforeseen challenges.
    • Competition: The space is attracting a number of well-funded competitors.
  • Market Positioning Assessment: Profound is well-positioned as a leader in the AEO space, with a strong product, impressive customer traction, and significant funding.
  • Growth Trajectory Indicators: The rapid succession of funding rounds and the company's ability to attract enterprise clients suggest a strong growth trajectory.