Searchable, a London-based AI startup, has successfully raised £10.3 million in a seed funding round led by Headline. This investment values the company at £62.9 million and is set to fuel its mission of helping brands navigate the new era of AI-driven search. The platform is engineered to optimize brand visibility across a new generation of answer engines, addressing a critical shift in online discovery.
A Paradigm Shift in Digital Discovery
The digital marketing world is undergoing a fundamental transformation as artificial intelligence reshapes how users find information online. With nearly 65 percent of searches now concluding without a click to a website, traditional search engine optimization strategies are rapidly losing their effectiveness. This trend underscores an urgent need for businesses to adapt as AI-driven search is projected to account for 70 percent of all queries by 2027.
Beyond Monitoring to Active Execution
Searchable addresses this challenge with a platform that functions as an AI co-pilot, moving beyond simple analytics to active implementation. Unlike legacy tools that primarily monitor rankings, it audits, optimizes, and executes tasks to improve visibility across ten leading AI engines, including ChatGPT and Google's AI overviews. This proactive approach distinguishes it in a market where many competitors still focus on providing dashboards rather than automated solutions.
Founder Chris Donnelly describes the current environment as a "once-in-a-generation reset" for the search industry. He emphasizes that when an AI assistant recommends a brand, customers arrive with greater trust and a shorter path to purchase. This is supported by company data showing that customers acquired through large language models convert at three times the rate of those from traditional search traffic.
Rapid Growth and Enterprise Adoption
The company has demonstrated remarkable traction since its launch in January 2026, achieving £1.4 million in annual recurring revenue in less than five months. It has quickly attracted nearly 1,000 customers, including major enterprises such as American Express, KPMG, Siemens, and Pfizer. This rapid adoption from industry leaders highlights the pressing market demand for effective answer engine optimization solutions.
Clients are already realizing significant returns, with enterprise customers reporting an average 22 percent increase in AI-driven traffic within their first 60 days on the platform. This valuable traffic provides a substantial boost to their marketing efforts, validating Searchable's positioning as an execution platform. The strong results underscore the platform's ability to deliver a measurable impact on customer acquisition and revenue.
Strategic Investment for Future Leadership
Dominic R. Wilhelm, a partner at lead investor Headline, noted that AI-driven discovery is rewriting the economics of how customers find products. He warned that brands invisible in this new layer of search will quietly lose market share to more adaptive competitors. The new capital will be used to accelerate product development and support Searchable's strategic expansion in the United States and United Kingdom.
This £10.3 million funding round firmly positions Searchable to capitalize on a pivotal evolution in digital marketing. As businesses grapple with the diminishing returns of traditional SEO, the company’s proactive, execution-focused platform offers a clear path forward. With strong financial backing and proven market traction, Searchable is well-equipped to define the future of brand visibility in an AI-first world.