At Etsy, Zoë Weil contributed to a billion-dollar rise in gross merchandise volume in one year by enhancing the marketplace’s AI ranking systems. With her startup, Sequen, she and her co-founders aim to apply their AI research and product development experience to other consumer businesses.
The company, having secured $16 million Series A funding, provides real-time personalization technology and ranking infrastructure—a feature used by leading tech firms but previously unavailable to other significant consumer businesses due to large data set requirements.
Even those unfamiliar with tech have likely encountered these systems in apps like TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. Weil, Sequen’s CEO, explains, “modern tech persuades users subtly to desire certain content, creating a misconception that platforms might be listening to them.”
This is attributed to the Large Event Model, which unlike Large Language Models that handle text, generalizes event streams and human behavior, offering applications beyond algorithm enhancement.
Weil suggests Sequen could replace cookies, criticized for privacy concerns, with models that learn from live actions such as hovers and conversations, rather than static profiles. Their technology allows real-time personalization even with minimal data, likening it to TikTok’s algorithms but advancing further.
Companies use Sequen by integrating its RankTune platform, enabling access to Sequen’s ranking models through APIs, with customers transitioning from their APIs to Sequen’s.
Sequen’s approach is less privacy-intrusive, relying on real-time data rather than user identity, enabling sub-20-millisecond decision-making and making user identity irrelevant.
Despite being privacy-conscious, Sequen’s technology claims significant revenue increases. For instance, a furniture company observed a 7% revenue rise after adopting Sequen, compared to the prior 0.4%. Fetch Rewards experienced a 20% net revenue increase in 11 days, with relationships in streaming media and travel sectors also underway.
Pricing is based on requests per second, with higher tiers offered as seen when clients prefer broader application after witnessing benefits in specific areas.
Weil began in research but shifted focus to product creation, helping firms utilize ranking products for business value, which inspired Sequen’s founding.
In under 18 months, Sequen processed 10 billion monthly requests and onboarded several Fortune 500 clients, featuring proprietary technology like large event models and algorithms.
Weil is joined by Ethan Benjamin from Etsy, co-founders Mo Afsharr and Alexander Thom, and Raphael Louca from Meta as Chief Product Officer. Located in New York, its team of fourteen hails from companies like DeepMind, Meta, and Anthropic.
The Series A round was co-led by White Star Capital and Threshold Ventures, with contributions from prior investors like Greycroft, raising Sequen’s total funding to $22 million.