Japanese AI Startup Raises ¥300 Million to Monitor Brand Presence in AI Search
secondz digital closed a Series A funding round of ¥300 million on May 20, 2026, from JAFCO Group and Sumisho Venture Partners. The company has now raised ¥450 million total since its November 2024 seed round.
The company's product, secondz Agentsense, tracks how brands appear across major generative AI platforms including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google AI Mode. It monitors brand citations and references across multiple regions.
How the Tool Works
Agentsense uses Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to analyze brand positioning in AI search results. The platform includes a positioning analysis framework called SCOPE and an improvement proposal agent that is currently patent-pending.
The tool generates specific recommendations for how brands can improve their visibility when AI systems reference or recommend products and services.
Target Market and Use Cases
secondz digital is targeting enterprise customers across B2B and B2C sectors. The company sees potential applications in e-commerce, recruitment marketing, and investor relations.
As AI agents become standard tools for customer research and decision-making, brands need visibility in these systems the way they once needed search engine rankings.
Where the Money Goes
secondz digital will use the funding to expand product development, hire strategy consultants and AI engineers, and build out a team of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) to support customers.
The company is positioning itself around what it calls "Agent-Led Growth" - helping enterprises adapt to a shift toward AI agents and automation as primary customer touchpoints.
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