In a world increasingly shaped by generative AI, a new battleground has quietly emerged: how brands appear in machine-generated search results. Now, a startup backed by top investors and marketing veterans is promising to lift the curtain on what some are calling the “black box” of AI search.
Brandlight, founded by CEO Imri Marcus, CTO Dvir Dvash and COO Uri Gafni, has emerged from stealth with $5.75 million in funding and a mission to help companies influence how AI models perceive, interpret, and present their brands. Investors in the round include Cardumen Capital and G20 Ventures, along with advisors such as Tony Weisman, former CEO of Digitas and CMO of Dunkin’, David Edelman, a former Fortune 50 CMO and senior fellow at Harvard Business School, and Sarah Fay, longtime media executive.
The company’s thesis is straightforward but urgent: as consumers increasingly rely on generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini for search, traditional SEO tactics are losing ground. In their place, AI-generated responses—formed from vast webs of data, citations, and learned associations—are becoming the default source of information.
“AI search is no longer the future – it is happening now. Traditional SEO is no longer enough, and brands must proactively influence how AI engines interpret and present their content,” said Imri Marcus, CEO of Brandlight. “AI search is a zero-sum game, and those that act now can secure a dominant position in an era where AI-driven visibility determines brand success. Brandlight’s system enables businesses to track, optimize, refine, and improve their AI-driven presence, ensuring they remain competitive in this new frontier. Over the last year, we’ve built the best-in-class solution for AI search. But more than selling a solution, we’re selling a world-class team that keeps innovating for our clients as the space continues to evolve.”
Whereas traditional SEO is based on keyword relevance and web structure, Brandlight’s platform focuses on AI influence: shaping how large language models interpret a company’s brand. The platform identifies and optimizes the data sources AI engines rely on, providing real-time insights and tools to manage a brand’s visibility across emerging AI-driven interfaces.