As people shift from Google searches to AI-powered recommendations, one question looms large for businesses: How can products show up in AI conversations? That’s exactly the problem The Prompting Company aims to solve.
The YC-backed startup has raised $6.5 million in seed funding to help brands get mentioned in AI apps like ChatGPT through a new strategy called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This approach is designed for a future where AI agents become the main channel for product discovery and purchases.
The Future of Product Discovery Is AI-Driven
According to a recent report, U.S. retailers may see 520% more traffic from AI chatbots in 2025 than in 2024. With large language models (LLMs) becoming the go-to tool for finding gifts, deals, and reviews, brands must adapt.
“The fastest-growing users online aren’t humans anymore—they’re AI agents,” said CEO Kevin Chandra. “That means websites need to be built not just for people, but for AI.”
How The Prompting Company Works
The platform identifies AI-driven purchase-intent queries, creates structured content to answer those questions, and builds AI-optimized web pages that make it easier for chatbots to recommend products.
Instead of traditional SEO—where rankings depend on keywords and backlinks—GEO focuses on being contextually relevant in AI-generated responses. That means your brand could be cited by ChatGPT or other AI tools, even if it doesn’t appear on Google’s first page.
Shaping the Next Generation of Online Marketing
As AI becomes the first touchpoint for shoppers, marketing to AI agents will be as crucial as marketing to humans. Future frameworks like Google’s Agent2Agent and OpenAI’s Stripe partnership are expected to let AI agents browse, compare, and even buy products autonomously.
The Prompting Company currently serves fintech, SaaS, and enterprise clients. Including a Fortune 10 company, and hosts over 500,000 AI-optimized pages. Its customer list features big names like Rippling, Motion, Rho, and Traceloop.
Backed by Leading Investors
The startup’s $6.5M round was led by Peak XV Partners, Base10, Y Combinator, and Firedrop, with angels including Logan Kilpatrick. The founding team Kevin Chandra, Michelle Marcelline, and Albert Purnama previously built YC-backed startups like Typedream and Cotter.
With partnerships forming, including one with Nvidia on next-generation AI search, The Prompting Company is positioned at the forefront of AI-powered product discovery.
As AI becomes the new search engine, visibility in chatbots could determine which products win online.
Or as investor Arnav Sahu puts it:
“If your product isn’t discovered or cited in ChatGPT, you’re not going to make it.”
