This startup is helping brands show up in chatbots and AI search. Read the pitch deck it used to raise $4 million.
Azoma, a London-based startup founded in 2022 by Max Sinclair and Timur Luguev, has successfully raised $4 million in funding to enhance brand visibility in the burgeoning field of AI search and chatbot interactions. The company specializes in generative engine optimization (GEO), a new strategy designed to ensure that brands are prominently featured in AI-driven responses, such as those generated by popular chatbots like ChatGPT. Sinclair, who previously held an executive role at Amazon, emphasized the importance of helping major brands remain relevant in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI search. Notable clients already utilizing Azoma’s services include industry giants like Mars, Colgate, Zappos, and Procter & Gamble.
Central to Azoma’s innovative approach are two patented technologies. The first, referred to as a “digital twin,” allows the startup to simulate how a brand would appear in chatbot responses by creating detailed profiles of target customer demographics. This enables Azoma to generate a high volume of prompts—such as asking for recommendations for coffee shops in a city—tailored to specific customer profiles. By analyzing the chatbot’s responses, Azoma can assess its clients’ rankings against competitors. The second technology focuses on generating optimized content, including product listings, that is more likely to be featured in AI search results and chatbot answers. This dual approach positions Azoma as a critical player in the evolving GEO and answer engine optimization market, which is still in its infancy and characterized by rapidly changing dynamics.
The funding round, which attracted investments from firms such as Ignite Ventures and eBay Ventures x Techstars, will enable Azoma to bolster its research and development efforts while expanding its commercial operations by hiring additional sales and customer success personnel. As the landscape of AI search continues to shift, Sinclair believes that while traditional SEO principles remain relevant, the rise of large language models has fundamentally altered the game. With its unique offerings and a clear vision for the future, Azoma is poised to play a significant role in shaping how brands interact with consumers in the AI-driven marketplace.
Max Sinclair is the founder and CEO of Azoma.
Azoma
Azoma raised $4 million to boost brands’ visibility in AI search and chatbot results.
The London startup simulates how brands appear in chatbot replies and creates content optimized for AI.
Business Insider got an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to secure the funding.
A startup that helps brands show up in AI search results and chatbot conversations has raised $4 million in funding.
London-based Azoma aims to capitalize on the rise of
generative engine optimization
(GEO), a strategy to make content more visible in AI overviews and chatbots like ChatGPT.
“We’re helping the world’s most recognizable brands to stay relevant in the era of
AI search
,” Max Sinclair, the CEO and cofounder of Azoma, told Business Insider.
Azoma, founded in 2022, has developed two patented technologies. One is what it calls a “digital twin” to simulate how brands appear in AI chatbot responses. Most conversations with chatbots are private, so Azoma creates profiles of people matching a client’s target customer demographic, then uses those to submit a “very large volume” of prompts to see what the chatbot says about a brand.
For example, Azoma could send 100,000 prompts asking for the best coffee shop in a city from the profile of a man in his 30s, Sinclair said. Azoma would then assess how its client ranks in those chatbot answers versus its competitors.
Azoma’s second solution is generating content, such as product listings, that it says is optimized to appear in AI search results and chatbot answers.
Sinclair said Azoma is a software-as-a-service platform that charges brands on a per-use basis and retailers by product categories. Its clients include the likes of Mars, Colgate, Zappos, and P&G. Azoma achieved profitability earlier this year, Sinclair said.
The GEO and
answer engine optimization
market is a young and competitive space where the rules are still being written.
Search engine optimization experts from companies like Google and Microsoft previously told Business Insider that some SEO principles still apply to GEO, such as creating relevant content. Sinclair, a former Amazon executive, said he agrees with the top-level principles, but large language models have changed the game.
“The way these LLMs work is totally, totally different. It’s a totally new technology,” Sinclair said. He explained that this is because the number of keywords is much greater in AI search versus traditional search, and because AI has significantly more context about the user.
Investors in the pre-Series A funding round included Ignite Ventures, Rank Ventures, eBay Ventures x Techstars, Twinpath, MaRS ISF, plus angel investors.
Azoma, which was also cofounded by Timur Luguev, who has a Ph.D. in computer science, plans to use the fresh capital to invest in R&D and expand its commercial operations by hiring for sales and customer success roles.
Here’s an exclusive look at the 19-page pitch deck Azoma used to raise its $4 million pre-Series AI round.
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