The startup, founded in 2017, initially focused on chatbot monetization before pivoting to AI. It now offers a platform that supports capabilities reliant on generative AI. Direqt's platform is used by 75 brands, including ESPN, GQ, Wired, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate product development, expand its team, and improve its conversational engine and monetization capabilities.
Key takeaways:
- Direqt, a startup that offers customizable chatbot solutions for media companies, has raised its first outside capital of $4.5 million.
- The company's platform allows publishers to implement their chatbot in ways that fit their own business’s AI policy and strategy, including generative AI experiences.
- Direqt can place the publishers’ chatbot experience directly on their website, within partnered messaging apps, and soon on social media platforms.
- The company has a hybrid business model, offering a SaaS approach or a revenue-based model where it takes a cut of the in-chat ad revenue that runs inside the platform.