MarTech Investment: Simplifying Marketing for Challenger Brands
“Marketing for challenger brands is in crisis.” This is the observation of Duarte Garrido, who recently secured £1m in pre-seed funding to tackle the issue through his startup, DOJO AI. Garrido’s background spans global marketing roles at major brands like Coca-Cola, Sky, and Standard Chartered, complemented by experience in tech startups and consultancy.
He noticed a stark contrast between marketing in large corporations and startups. Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) often faced short tenures, stressed teams, and ineffective marketing efforts. Garrido identified the root cause: the fragmented and overly complex marketing technology landscape.
The Problem with Current Marketing Tech
Marketing technology has become a “sea of point solutions.” There are over 15,000 tools available today, each with separate data, dashboards, and workflows. Smaller marketing teams struggle to manage this complexity, frequently relying on agencies or consultants. However, this approach often fails due to high overhead costs.
Garrido saw an opportunity to build a unified solution. His goal was to create a single platform that combines brand and performance data, helping marketers gather insights, plan strategies, create content, and predict campaign outcomes.
Introducing DOJO AI
Founded eight months ago alongside Antonio Alegria, DOJO AI has already signed over 20 clients across the US and UK, including PensionBee, Ecologi, Yonder, Broadvoice, Unbabel, Work.Life, and Hubstar. The pre-seed round attracted angel investors from companies like Expedia, Adobe, Klarna, and was led by Heartfelt Capital.
DOJO AI functions as a full-stack marketing agency powered by AI agents working together on a data engine that acts as a digital twin of a company’s entire marketing operation. Marketers can ask detailed questions such as:
- “Where have I wasted money on paid ads, and how can I fix it?”
- “How can I outrank my competitor in SEO within two weeks?”
- “Can you create an omnichannel campaign to generate more leads?”
Next year, DOJO AI plans to evolve into a complete AI marketing operating system. It aims to replace static workflows, scheduled posts, and traditional market research with dynamic, AI-driven marketing capabilities accessible to even solo marketers.
Leveling the Playing Field
This approach enables companies of all sizes to compete effectively regardless of budget constraints. Jasper Martens, CMO at listed FinTech PensionBee, praised DOJO AI as a “marketing assistant on tap.” He highlighted its value in assessing competitive positioning, defining marketing channel mixes, and refining campaign messaging.
For marketing professionals looking to enhance their AI skills and stay ahead, exploring AI-based marketing tools and platforms is essential. Resources like Complete AI Training’s AI tool databases provide practical courses and insights that can help marketers adapt to this new landscape.
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