Evertune, a brand analytics startup focused on AI chatbot recommendations, has emerged from stealth with $4 million in seed funding, led by New York-based Eniac Ventures, with participation from NextView Ventures and angel investor Roger Ehrenberg. The company, founded in April 2024, addresses a growing trend: consumers increasingly using AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude to research products and make purchasing decisions.
The platform provides brands with critical insights into how large language models (LLMs) perceive and recommend their products. Evertune analyzes the probability that AI models will recommend a specific brand to consumers, compares companies against competitors, and identifies strengths and weaknesses in AI-generated recommendations. The startup currently integrates with major LLMs including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Meta’s Llama, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity.
CEO and co-founder Brian Stempeck, an early employee at programmatic advertising giant The Trade Desk, conceived the idea approximately a year ago during his own car-shopping experience. Rather than conducting traditional Google searches, he queried ChatGPT to compare vehicle specifications, realizing this represented a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. “This is one of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the search space, ever,” Stempeck told Business Insider. “LLMs get straight to the answer instead of having to click and do your own research.”
The platform enables brands to optimize their presence in AI recommendations, similar to traditional SEO strategies for Google search. For example, a luxury retail brand recently used Evertune to train a model using existing employee handbooks, improving how AI systems represent their products. This capability becomes increasingly critical as AI adoption accelerates among consumers seeking quick, synthesized answers rather than manual research.
Evertune joins a booming ecosystem of generative AI startups in marketing and adtech. While many competitors focus on generating marketing materials like copy, photos, and videos, Evertune distinguishes itself through analytics. Similar companies in the space include Chalice, which has raised $1.8 million to build algorithms for ad targeting, and OpenAds, which serves ads in AI chatbots embedded on brand websites with $1 million in funding.
Stempeck and his co-founders, Ed Chater and Poul Costinsky, position Evertune as the leader at the intersection of advertising and AI, viewing LLMs as a crucial new marketing channel that requires dedicated optimization strategies.
Key Quotes
This is one of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the search space, ever. LLMs get straight to the answer instead of having to click and do your own research.
Brian Stempeck, Evertune’s CEO and co-founder, explained the fundamental shift in consumer behavior that inspired the company’s creation. This observation underscores why brands need new analytics tools to understand their AI presence.
From a marketing team standpoint, knowing what these LLMs are saying about a brand, product, or competitor becomes really important at scale when it comes to adopting AI.
Stempeck emphasized the strategic importance of LLM analytics for marketing teams, positioning AI chatbot recommendations as a critical new channel that requires dedicated monitoring and optimization strategies.
We think that AI and LLMs are a really important marketing channel. The first stage for how that works is what AI is saying about you, and how you edit it.
The CEO outlined Evertune’s vision for treating AI models as a distinct marketing channel, with the company focusing on the foundational step of understanding and influencing AI-generated brand perceptions.
Our Take
Evertune’s launch represents a pivotal moment in the convergence of AI and marketing, addressing a blind spot that most brands haven’t yet recognized. While companies have invested heavily in traditional SEO and paid search, few have systematic approaches to understanding or influencing their representation in AI chatbots—despite growing evidence that consumers trust and rely on these tools for purchase decisions. The startup’s focus on analytics rather than content generation is particularly astute, as brands need visibility into AI recommendations before they can effectively optimize them. The involvement of Brian Stempeck, who witnessed The Trade Desk’s growth from startup to public company, suggests deep industry expertise in navigating emerging advertising channels. As LLMs become primary research tools for consumers, Evertune’s platform could become as essential as Google Analytics once was, creating a substantial market opportunity that justifies significant venture investment and positions the company as a category leader.
Why This Matters
This funding announcement signals a critical evolution in digital marketing as AI chatbots fundamentally reshape consumer research and purchasing behavior. As millions of users shift from traditional search engines to conversational AI for product recommendations, brands face a new challenge: they must understand and optimize how AI models perceive and present their products, or risk losing visibility in this emerging channel.
Evertune’s emergence highlights the growing recognition that LLM optimization represents the next frontier of search engine optimization. Just as businesses spent decades perfecting their Google rankings, they now need strategies for influencing AI recommendations. This shift has profound implications for marketing budgets, brand strategies, and competitive positioning across industries.
The $4 million investment from established VCs like Eniac Ventures validates the market opportunity and urgency. As AI adoption accelerates, first-movers in LLM analytics gain significant advantages in understanding and shaping this new landscape. For businesses, this represents both a threat—competitors may optimize their AI presence first—and an opportunity to gain visibility with consumers who increasingly trust AI recommendations over traditional advertising. The startup’s focus on analytics rather than content generation also suggests a maturing AI marketing ecosystem with specialized tools for different needs.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-ai-ad-analytics-startup-evertune-4-million-seed-2024-10