AI sector sees major investment as Profound and Intrepid Growth Partners secure significant funding

New York-based AI marketing startup Profound has raised $180 million in a Series D funding round, reaching a $1.8 billion valuation. Led by Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins, the investment supports Profound’s analytics platform, which tracks brand visibility across AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The company focuses on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help brands maintain visibility in AI-generated answers.

Separately, Intrepid Growth Partners has closed its inaugural $525 million fund dedicated to growth-stage AI companies. Founded by Mark Machin, Mark Shulgan, and Ajay Agrawal, the firm targets businesses using machine intelligence to transform established industries. Intrepid, which operates out of Toronto and London, has already invested in nine companies and maintains a focus on the technology corridor between Canada and the United Kingdom, while also investing in the U.S. and Europe.