Firsthand
Category: AI in Marketing
AI-powered Brand Agent Platform that enables marketers and publishers to engage consumers directly with personalized experiences. Firsthand was founded in 2023. The company is led by Jonathan Heller and Michael Rubenstein. Based in New York, NY, USA. Team size: N/A. Total funding raised: $32.6M. Latest round: Series A funding of $26M led by Radical Ventures. Key investors include Radical Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Aperiam Ventures, Crossbeam Venture Partners, Angel investors such as David Rosenblatt and Brian O'Kelley.
- Founded
- 2023
- Headquarters
- New York, NY, USA
- Team size
- N/A
- Total funding
- $32.6M
Value proposition
Facilitates direct and trusted relationships between brands and consumers using AI-driven personalization and secure data management through its proprietary Lakebed system.
Products and solutions
Brand Agent Platform, Lakebed (data and knowledge rights management solution)
Unique value
Leverages AI as a novel communication medium for direct engagement between brands and consumers, bypassing traditional intermediaries.
Target customer
Top global publishers, agencies, and brands
Industries served
Digital advertising, Marketing technology, Publishing
Technology advantage
Seamless integration of custom AI agents with a robust and secure data management system (Lakebed) for personalized, real-time interactions.
How they differentiate
Distinct focus on AI-driven, direct consumer engagement combined with secure data management, setting it apart from traditional marketing automation platforms.
Main competitors
Adobe, Salesforce, Sailthru
Key partnerships
Radical Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Aperiam Ventures, Crossbeam Venture Partners
Notable customers
Top global publishers, agencies, and brands (specific names not disclosed)
Major milestones
Successful Series A funding round Launch and scaling of the first AI-powered brand agent platform in the industry
Growth metrics
Actively scaling its platform post-funding; specific growth metrics have not been publicly disclosed.
Market positioning
Emerging leader in AI-driven marketing technology with a strong emphasis on personalized consumer relationships.
Geographic focus
Global, targeting top brands and publishers worldwide
Patents and IP
No patents reported as of now
About Jonathan Heller and Michael Rubenstein
Jonathan Heller is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive in the ad-tech industry. He is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Firsthand, an AI-powered brand agent platform. Prior to Firsthand, he co-founded and was the CEO of Multitude.ai. He also co-founded FreeWheel, a video ad platform that was acquired by Comcast, where he served as Co-Founder and Inventor. Before that, he was the Vice President of Engineering at DoubleClick, which was acquired by Google. He started his career as a software engineer at Procter & Gamble. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Official website: https://www.firsthand.ai