New Trends: The Future of Search Starts Here
Back in the early days of the internet, the web was exploding, millions of new sites appearing, and search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Firefox racing to organize the chaos. Suddenly, companies realized that simply having a website wasn’t enough. They needed to stand out, to rise to the top of search results, and be discovered in a sea of online noise. That need gave birth to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the practice of improving website rankings and attracting organic traffic.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape is shifting again. AI-powered search is moving beyond traditional results pages toward chat-based engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. This shift has sparked a new category: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which ensures that a company’s digital content is visible, referenced, and ranked favorably in AI-generated answers.
How GEO Works?
Imagine you’re a brand trying to make your voice heard in a world dominated by AI chatbots. People are asking questions online, but you can’t see whether or how your brand appears in the answers.
This is where a GEO tool becomes essential. It scans your website and content, simulates the questions users might ask AI, and tracks how often your brand is cited, referenced, or ranked in the AI-generated responses. It quantifies this presence into a visibility score, identifies the areas where your brand is missing or underrepresented, and then provides actionable recommendations to optimize content and improve your prominence in AI-driven conversations.
The Emergence of GEO Companies
GEO companies first began appearing in early 2023. First Page Sage, founded by Evan Bailyn, launched the first commercial GEO service. Since then, the market has grown rapidly, with numerous startups optimizing visibility in AI engines like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity.
Competitive Landscape
The GEO market features a mix of specialized platforms, hybrid content + GEO solutions, and traditional digital marketing agencies adopting GEO strategies.
Leading players include:
Profound (founded 2024) Enterprise-focused GEO platform, raised $58.5M across three rounds, backed by Sequoia Capital and Khosla Ventures. Offers multi-LLM monitoring, citation tracking, and predictive alerts.
AthenaHQ (founded 2024) Multi-engine visibility and actionable insights, raised $2.1M in 2025 with backing from Y Combinator. Features an Action Center that converts AI visibility gaps into prioritized content tasks.
Peec AI (founded 2025) Conversational AI platform that assists brands in enhancing visibility and product discovery. Raised $28.9M across two rounds, backed by 20VC, Antler, and Pawao Capital.
Locally in the MENA region, early-stage players such as Amplifyr, Reach LLM, and Zaher AI are emerging. While still nascent, these companies demonstrate the region’s growing interest in GEO solutions and highlight the potential for AI-driven visibility tools to support brands across regional markets.
The Opportunity Ahead
The GEO space is exciting. Adoption is poised to grow alongside the rise of AI-driven search. While the barrier to entry is relatively low, with agencies and existing marketing platforms offering GEO capabilities, first-mover, specialized companies with deep AI visibility expertise are likely to capture the most value.
