Direqt – the first AI chatbot platform built exclusively for publishers – recently announced $4.5 million in funding from a private consortium of entrepreneurs and executives, including Todd Parker, former Global Head of Business Development for Business Messaging at Google, NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino, Peter Callahan, Former CEO of American Media, Ron Antevy, Founder & CEO e-Builder and Dave Walsh, Partner at Kayne Anderson. Utilized by leading publishers, including ESPN, GQ, WIRED, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan, this funding round will enable Direqt to expand its customizable AI chatbot solution.
Direqt’s chatbot platform enables key benefits for publishers, including:
1.) Content Control – Publishers can train their custom AI chatbot on their unique content and refine personality and brand voice using the Direqt platform.
2.) Configurable AI – Publishers can determine which AI features are enabled for their chatbot, ensuring that all publishers can leverage chat in a way aligned with their overall AI strategy.
3.) Deepen Engagement – Chatbots can be embedded on publisher’s websites to increase time-on-site, pageviews, and overall reader engagement.
4.) Reach New Audiences – Chatbots can be distributed across multiple platforms through Direqt’s chatbot distribution network, including social media apps and messaging apps, reaching hundreds of millions of previously unreachable audiences.
5.) Unlock New Revenue Sources – Publishers on Direqt can leverage Direqt’s In-Chat Advertising Platform to monetize their chatbot audience with relevant, privacy-first advertising served natively in chat.
6.) First-Party Data – Publishers have exclusive access to the data collected and shared within the chatbot.
7.) Multiple Vendors – Direqt’s platform is adaptable, and it utilizes multiple leading LLMs, so publishers are never locked into a single model provider. Publishers can easily configure their conversation engine of choice in the Direqt platform.
8.) User Experience/Low Cost – Unlike creating a chatbot from scratch internally, which can take months to develop and potentially cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, Direqt allows publishers to build a chatbot in minutes for a fraction of the cost.
KEY QUOTES:
“With the rise of generative AI, consumers are increasingly interfacing with chat, presenting new opportunities for publishers. But building AI chatbots from scratch is not only time and cost-intensive, but existing solutions like ChatGPT are trained on data across the internet, raising legal and accuracy concerns. That’s why we developed Direqt’s chatbot platform to be highly customizable, enabling publishers to train their chatbots exclusively on their content to deliver a conversational experience that reflects brand voice without compromising their editorial standards or budgets.”
— John Duffy, Co-Founder and CEO at Direqt
“What Direqt has done is harness the power of AI-driven chatbots and customize them in a way that meets the specific requirements of publishers and their audience. Generative AI is here to stay, and Direqt is at the forefront of pioneering widespread adoption across the entire publishing industry.”
— Todd Parker, investor and former Global Head of Business Development for Business Messaging at Google
“Publications today are competing not just with each other but the entirety of the internet; capturing and retaining attention is essential. We selected Direqt’s chatbot platform because it allows us to boost audience engagement while retaining ownership and control over our data and content. As a result, since working with Direqt, we’ve been able to boost time-on-site by over 200%.”
— Mitch Rubenstein, Founder of the Sci-Fi Channel and owner of Hollywood.com & Dance Magazine, Direqt customers
