Q1 2026 shattered every venture record — $300B poured into startups globally, with AI accounting for 80% of it. But the real signal isn't the mega-rounds. It's what's happening in the martech layer underneath. Here's who's building, buying, and shipping.
1 Xoople raises $130M Series B for agentic data infrastructure
Total funding now $225M. Building what they call "Earth's system of record for the agentic era." Backed by Nazca Capital and CDTI. The bet: every AI marketing agent needs a unified data layer to act on.
This isn't another CDP or data warehouse play. Xoople is building infrastructure specifically designed for AI agents to read, write, and act on — not dashboards for humans to stare at. If the agentic era needs plumbing, Xoople is betting it'll be theirs.
2 Profound hits $1B valuation with $96M Series C
This 18-month-old startup helps brands stay visible in AI-generated answers, not just Google links. Already working with 10% of the Fortune 500 including Target, Walmart, and Figma. AEO is the new SEO.
The speed of this valuation tells you everything about the market. When AI assistants start answering buying questions instead of showing search results, brands that aren't optimized for AI answers become invisible overnight. Profound is building the optimization layer for that future — and the Fortune 500 is already paying for it.
3 Publicis acquires AdgeAI for ~$100M
A bootstrapped Israeli startup that predicts which creative assets will perform before a campaign goes live. Now integrated into Publicis Production. The holding companies aren't just buying agencies anymore — they're buying AI brains.
This acquisition is a signal of where the holding companies see their future competitive advantage. It's not about more creatives or more offices — it's about predictive intelligence that can tell you which ad will work before you spend a dollar on media. Expect every major holding company to make similar acquisitions this year.
4 Viant acquires TVision for $40M
Second-by-second, eyes-on-screen attention data is now baked into Viant's programmatic platform. Attention metrics just went from nice-to-have to built-in buying signal.
The attention economy has been a concept for years, but TVision is one of the few companies that actually measures it at the individual impression level. Integrating this directly into a programmatic buying platform means advertisers can now optimize for actual human attention, not just viewability. That's a fundamentally different buying signal.
5 Moloco launches Performance CTV
AI-powered app install ads on connected TV. Early results: 1.5x higher ROI than mobile, with two-thirds of installs happening within 6 hours. The living room is now a performance channel.
CTV has been a brand advertising channel for years, but Moloco is turning it into a direct response machine. The 1.5x ROI over mobile is the stat that will get every performance marketer's attention. If these numbers hold at scale, expect a massive reallocation of app install budgets from mobile to CTV.
6 Pomo raises $4.5M seed for agentic marketing intelligence
Founded by ex-Google DeepMind and Databricks engineers. Real-time market intelligence that acts, not just reports. The shift from generative to agentic AI in martech is officially underway.
The pedigree here matters. These aren't marketers who learned to code — they're AI researchers who see marketing as the application layer. Pomo's thesis is that market intelligence should trigger actions automatically, not sit in a report waiting for someone to read it. That's the "agentic" difference in a nutshell.
7 DOJO AI raises $6M seed for agentic marketing automation
Another agentic play, this one focused on automating campaign execution end-to-end. The pattern is clear: investors are betting that "copilots" are already outdated — agents that execute are next.
The distinction between "copilot" and "agent" is the defining line in martech right now. Copilots suggest; agents execute. DOJO AI is betting that marketers don't want another tool that tells them what to do — they want one that does it. The $6M seed says investors agree.
8 Sett raises $30M Series B for AI-powered game marketing
Tel Aviv-based Sett automates the entire player acquisition process with AI agents, from creative production to campaign optimization. Customers include Zynga, Playtika, and Papaya. Already generating tens of millions in revenue, and expanding into fintech and e-commerce by year-end. Total funding now $57M.
Gaming has always been the most performance-obsessed vertical in digital marketing — every install, every session, every in-app purchase is tracked and optimized. Sett's expansion into fintech and e-commerce suggests that the AI-native approach they built for games is ready for the mainstream. Watch this one closely.
9 Bluefish raises $43M Series B for agentic marketing
Co-led by Threshold Ventures and NEA, with Amex Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and TIAA Ventures joining. Already used by 10% of the Fortune 500 including Adidas, LVMH, American Express, and Ulta Beauty. The platform helps brands control how they're portrayed in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Amazon Rufus. Total funding now $68M, targeting a $500B agentic marketing opportunity.
Bluefish and Profound are both playing in the "AI visibility" space, but from different angles. Bluefish focuses on brand portrayal and narrative control across AI platforms — making sure ChatGPT doesn't say something about your brand that you wouldn't say yourself. The investor lineup (Amex, Salesforce, TIAA) signals enterprise credibility.
10 Lifesight launches Mia, a marketing intelligence agent
Ask questions about your campaign performance in plain language, get answers with spend recommendations. The dashboard is dying. The conversational analytics layer is replacing it.
Mia represents the end state that every analytics platform is racing toward: you don't log into a dashboard, you ask a question and get an answer with a recommended action. The companies that get this right will make traditional BI tools feel like spreadsheets feel to people who grew up with calculators.
The throughline: "agentic" isn't a buzzword anymore — it's a funding category. Every major round recently is backing AI that doesn't just analyze or suggest, but acts. The martech stack isn't getting bigger. It's getting autonomous.