You.com Startup Raises US$50 Million as it Targets AI-Assistant Market
You.com is raising US$50 million to increase its footprint in the AI-assistant sector. The fundraising round values the company between US$700 million and US$900 million. You.com has received over 1 billion queries since its introduction.
According to a source familiar with the subject, the Series B investment round, which is nearing completion, will value SuSea Inc, a four-year-old firm, at between US$700 million and US$900 million. Since its introduction, You.com has received over 1 billion user queries, demonstrating its popularity and market potential.
The launch of ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, in early 2023 piqued interest in You.com's search engine. As Microsoft added its own AI chatbot to its Bing search engine and Google incorporated AI-generated answers for more nuanced inquiries, some consumers began to consider alternate possibilities. Despite heightened competition, You.com managed to draw 11 million visitors in May, representing a year-over-year gain in online traffic. According to Similarweb data, this number remains lower than its peak of 20 million visitors in February 2023. Furthermore, Sensor Tower, a market intelligence organisation, claimed that app downloads were down by an estimated 69% in 2024 compared to the same period last year. Other AI businesses have faced similar issues.
In response to these market realities, You.com has evolved into an AI assistant, shifting its focus from internet search to productivity solutions. The company's website demonstrates its capacity to compose language, develop computer code, and navigate a variety of technologies to give visitors with correct and relevant answers. Richard Socher, CEO of You.com and former Salesforce chief scientist, has previously indicated that the site seeks to provide thorough answers to user requests.
Despite several requests for comment, Richard Socher did not respond.
The market for sophisticated AI helpers is still in its early stages, but it is already extremely competitive. Google, Microsoft, OpenAI (the author of ChatGPT), and Apple are all vying to provide agent-like capabilities to their massive user bases.
You.com provides a premium consumer subscription priced at US$15 per month when billed annually, giving consumers access to top AI models from various industries, as well as other productivity tools. In comparison, other memberships from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI cost around $20 per month.
The individual familiar with You.com's fundraising efforts said that the company's sales are increasing. Since January, its annual recurring revenue has increased fivefold, albeit the exact monetary amount was not released. You.com's revenue comes from both consumer and business-to-business subscribers.
Georgian Venture Capital is leading the fundraising round, with additional funding coming from You.com's existing backers.
Georgian representatives declined to comment on the situation.
Source: REUTERS