Where Google once dominated, consumers increasingly turn to AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity for information and product recommendations. Recent data indicates that 27% of consumers rely on AI search for at least half of their internet queries, with up to 20% of referral traffic coming directly from AI search — a 15% weekly increase. AI search also provides up to 23 times higher conversion rates than traditional search.
Brands face a pressing challenge in adapting to the shift towards AI-powered platforms. With only 12% of ChatGPT results overlapping Google’s top rankings, even the most SEO-savvy brands risk going unnoticed in AI search results. Traditional SEO tactics are of limited help, and companies lack the necessary analytics, feedback, and a clear strategy for this emerging channel.
Peec AI, a Berlin-based startup developing a leading AI search analytics platform for marketing teams, addresses this urgent challenge by offering a comprehensive analytics tool designed specifically for the AI search era. The platform allows marketers to analyse and benchmark their brand’s performance in AI search, monitor mentions, identify influential sources, and formulate strategies to increase visibility and conversions. Since its launch four months ago, Peec AI has achieved €650K in ARR and is on track to become the leader in AI search analytics.
Today, just five months after its inception, Peec AI has achieved a significant milestone of €650,000 in ARR within four months and demonstrated a remarkable weekly expansion of €80,000. This rapid growth has attracted investments from prominent firms such as 20VC, Antler, Foreword VC, Identity.VC, Combination VC, and S20, culminating in a substantial € 7 million in funding.
“Companies have to adjust to a world where people are asking ChatGPT and Perplexity which TV to buy or where to go for vacation, while searches on Google are going down. We want to give marketers the tools to win on these new platforms and drive growth for their companies,” says Peec AI’s co-founder Marius Meiners.
Behind Peec AI: Founders with vision, diversity, and drive
Peec AI’s founding team combines a rare mix of entrepreneurial, technical, and commercial skills.
Marius Meiners, once a top-tier professional esports athlete ranked among the world’s top 100 League of Legends players, switched to software engineering and later joined PwC’s Venture Deals practice, focusing on startup funding and M&A. Tobias Siwona is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded multiple AI and consumer tech startups and led engineering teams at Lovoo and Zapp, growing them to millions of users. Daniel Drabo, who studied law at Humboldt University while running a ramen food truck, later founded a legaltech startup that helped laid-off employees secure severance pay.
The three met during a founder residency at Antler in Berlin, united by a shared vision to create something transformative, driven by a specific market need. “Our motivation was a clear market need. We realised we were using AI search for almost everything, and when we spoke to industry professionals, LLMs were at the top of everyone’s mind for nearly all of them, but nobody knew how well they ranked or performed within AI search. The market pull was immense; inbound requests for demos were non-stop, and we knew we were onto something,” Meiners explains in a conversation with TFN.
Peec AI’s mission is to equip marketers with the tools needed to thrive in the era of AI-driven search, ensuring brands remain visible and competitive as consumer behaviour evolves.
Diversity is a core value for the company. The founding team includes one member of the LGBTQ+ community and another who is a person of colour. Over half of the team has an immigration background, with members from Brazil, Serbia, Russia, Israel, the Netherlands, India, and the Philippines.
Cutting-edge technology and a unique market position
Peec AI’s technology is distinguished by its ability to deliver top-quality data and actionable insights. By running daily prompts, the platform offers smarter suggested prompts, deeper insights, and quicker routes to statistically significant results. Marketers receive real-time analytics on brand performance in AI search, competitive benchmarking, and source impact analysis — crucial tools as traditional SEO becomes less effective.
Unlike legacy SEO tools, Peec AI is specifically designed to address the unique challenges of LLM-driven search engines. In the early market, it competes with Rankscale; in the mid-market, Scrunch emerges as a key alternative; and for enterprise clients, Profound is the most comparable option. Peec AI’s fast iteration, high data quality, and focus on AI search analytics distinguish it from competitors.
“As traditional SEO doesn’t work for AI, many brands that rank #1 on Google find themselves buried or missing in AI results. With no analytics or feedback loop, staying competitive in the new age of AI is difficult. Peec AI is solving that,” Meiners adds.
What’s next for Peec AI?
With the fresh funding, Peec AI aims to reach €4 million in ARR by year-end, raise a Series A early next year, and expand into the U.S. market. The company’s long-term vision is to become the global leader in AI-powered search visibility, helping brands adapt and thrive as AI search becomes the dominant channel for consumer discovery.
Investors are enthusiastic about Peec AI’s trajectory. “Peec’s growth is phenomenal, but early-stage venture ultimately comes down to two key elements — is this a world-class team, and are they directionally right? In the case of Peec, this team is the most cracked I have met in 2025. Writing this check was a no-brainer for 20VC,” says Kieran Hill, Partner at 20VC.
Christoph Klink, Partner at Antler, adds, “Brands can’t afford to ignore AI search. Peec AI gives marketing teams the tools to succeed in the AI search era. The speed with which they have raised this funding is testament to their long-term growth potential.”
With its diverse team, cutting-edge technology, and clear vision, Peec AI is poised to lead the next wave of digital marketing innovation and help brands win in the era of AI search.
