Twilio recently launched its AI Startup Searchlight Awards, a program designed to recognize and support emerging startups building innovative AI-powered applications and customer engagement solutions. The initiative highlights early-stage companies that use AI to transform communications, automation, and customer experiences, while providing founders with visibility, mentorship, and opportunities within Twilio’s developer and enterprise ecosystem. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Twilio’s CMO, Chris Koehler, to learn more.
Creation Of The Program
What inspired the creation of this program, and how does it reflect Twilio’s broader vision for AI-driven customer engagement? Koehler said:
“Builders are at the heart of everything we do at Twilio. When we looked at the AI space, we saw something remarkable, startups aren’t just experimenting with AI, they’re fundamentally reimagining how businesses connect with customers.”
“The Searchlight Awards came from wanting to celebrate these builders and learn from them. Over 750 startups applied this year, and the innovation at the intersection of AI and communications is genuinely inspiring. These companies are showing what’s possible when you combine contextual data with AI-driven orchestration across channels, they’re solving real problems, not building demos.”
Evaluation Of Applicants
How did Twilio evaluate applicants? Were there specific AI capabilities or use cases that stood out among the winners? Koehler shared:
“I had the privilege of judging alongside fellow Twilio executives including our CTO Mark Simms, our Head of AI Zachary Hanif, plus external judges from Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI, and IDC. We evaluated across three categories: business impact, creativity, and technical innovation.”
“What stood out was the breadth of use cases. In the US, Loman AI is handling complex restaurant orders 24/7 with voice agents that remember customer preferences. In Japan, AI Shift is bringing intelligent voice agents to contact centers around the clock. Curans is training medical students in Jordan with AI patient simulators delivered across WhatsApp, SMS, and voice. And Mecanizou is digitizing Brazil’s $10 billion auto parts market through AI-powered WhatsApp commerce. The common thread wasn’t a specific technology, it was a relentless focus on making customer interactions feel effortless.”
Supporting These Startups
How does Twilio plan to support these startups beyond the initial announcement? Koehler noted:
“This isn’t just recognition, we’re committed to helping them scale. Every honoree receives up to $10,000 in Twilio credits, $2,500 in OpenAI API credits, and a $5,000 gift card.”
“But the real value is access. Each winner gets a 1:1 session with Twilio Ventures to pitch, get strategic feedback, and build relationships that could accelerate fundraising. We’re also bringing them into our co-marketing ecosystem, featured in tech media and connected with our broader customer and partner network.”
Enhancing Twilio’s Brand With This Program
From your perspective as CMO, how does showcasing early-stage AI innovation strengthen Twilio’s brand position? Koehler explained:
“There’s something powerful about letting customers tell our story. When you see Neru Health improving medical device therapy adherence by 10-20% with AI companions built on Twilio, or Cartesia setting new standards for ultra-realistic voice AI. These aren’t hypotheticals, these are real companies solving real-world problems at scale.”
“And here’s the thing, 90% of the Forbes AI 50 Startups are already building on Twilio. Searchlight showcases that next wave of that innovation. These startups are building the future of customer engagement on our platform, which positions Twilio not just as a vendor, but as the essential infrastructure for AI-native companies. In a market where everyone claims to be ‘AI-powered,’ that kind of validation cuts through the noise.”
Shifts With Enterprise Customers
What are the most meaningful shifts you’re seeing among enterprise customers today? Koehler reflected:
“We’re seeing a shift from reactive to proactive engagement, faster than I expected. In our State of Customer Engagement Report, 96% of companies say AI is improving customer-facing operations, and 75% are seeing increased spend from AI-powered personalization.”
“The real shift is personalization at scale finally becoming real. We’ve seen enterprises reduce the time to send highly personalized campaigns by 75% using generative AI. And we’re tracking about 2.5% of our traffic now coming directly from LLMs, with conversion rates three to four times higher. In an agentic world, we’re not just creating content for humans, we’re creating it for agents acting on their behalf.”
Advice For Companies
What advice do you have for companies trying to balance experimentation with responsible, ROI-driven AI adoption? Koehler suggested:
“Don’t get enamored with the technology, focus on the business problem. Ask yourself ‘what customer experience are you trying to improve?’ and work backward from there.”
“Structure matter. We’ve set up AI councils within marketing and across the company with approved tools, defined use cases, and clear governance. And culturally, I frame AI as enhancement, not replacement. We have a backlog of things we can’t get to and AI helps us create higher quality output more efficiently. Get your people comfortable being uncomfortable with change, and adoption accelerates.”
New Trends
What new capabilities or trends are you most excited about? Koehler reflected:
“The convergence of data and communications. For too long, these were separate stacks. Your CDP here, your messaging channels there. Now, with AI as the orchestration layer, you can turn contextual signals into action at scale, in real time.”
“I’m also excited about agentic AI. Companies like Vozy are handling 200 million+ omnichannel interactions with 300+ AI agents. Genspark is making real calls for 2 million users globally. The breadth of innovation in this year’s Searchlight cohort shows where this is heading.”
Evolving As An Ecosystem Steward
How do you see Twilio’s role evolving as both a technology provider and ecosystem steward? Koehler concluded:
“We’re moving beyond being an API company to becoming essential infrastructure for AI-native customer engagement.”
“As a technology provider, we’re combining communications, contextual data, and AI-driven orchestration without friction. As an ecosystem steward through programs like Searchlight- we’re actively nurturing the next generation of companies defining how businesses engage with customers.”
“AI is reshaping customer expectations. People want experiences that feel human, even when AI-powered. Enterprises want to deliver that at scale. Twilio’s role is to be the trusted foundation for all of it.”
