India-founded startup Gushwork is transforming how businesses are discovered online through AI-powered search tools, helping firms attract customers from platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. The two-year-old company has secured $9 million in a seed round led by Susquehanna International Group (SIG) and Lightspeed, with contributions from B Capital, Seaborne Capital, Beenext, Sparrow Capital, and 2.2 Capital, valuing Gushwork at $33 million post-money. This follows a $2.1 million pre-seed round in July 2023, raising Gushwork’s total funding to $11 million.
As AI entities like OpenAI and Perplexity challenge traditional web search, Gushwork is positioning itself to assist businesses in leveraging AI-driven discovery channels, using its automated marketing agents.
Founded in 2023 by Nayrhit Bhattacharya and Adithya Venkatesh, Gushwork originally focused on aiding small and medium businesses outsource workflows using a blend of AI and human expertise. They’ve shifted towards search-led marketing due to high demand for online visibility enhancement.
Gushwork’s platform employs AI agents to generate search-optimized content, build 10 to 20 backlinks per client through 200 to 300 partner websites, and track leads via an integrated CMS. This allows businesses to appear in traditional and AI-generated search results without large in-house teams.
The startup serves over 300 paying clients, mainly in the U.S., with subscriptions starting at $800 per month. It reports $1.5 million in annualized recurring revenue just three months after launching its AI search-focused product, aiming for $3 million to $3.5 million ARR soon, with a 50% to 80% monthly growth rate.
About 20% of Gushwork’s customer web traffic originates from AI-driven search and chat systems, accounting for 40% of inbound leads. High-intent leads have led to substantial contracts, with some services clients earning $200,000 – $350,000 using the platform. Their clientele primarily consists of high-ticket B2B service providers, industrial distributors, and contract manufacturers in the U.S., averaging $9,000 to $10,000 annually per contract.
The momentum of AI-driven discovery is increasing, with tools like generative AI chatbots and AI browsers becoming integral for buyers researching vendors. In 2025, ChatGPT received about 2.5 billion prompts daily worldwide, influencing companies’ online visibility strategies.
Gushwork intends to use the new funds to expand its engineering team, enhance model accuracy, and scale marketing efforts. They have a waitlist of over 800 businesses for onboarding. The startup, based in Delaware with an office in Bengaluru, has approximately 70 employees in India along with additional contractors.