Zoca announced a $6 million round to build an AI-based growth platform to help hyperlocal service businesses get discovered, booked, and rebooked, promising one outcome: more paying clients, guaranteed. The funding round was led by Accel with participation from GTMfund, Elevation Capital, and Better Capital.
Value proposition: Even though most software hands small business owners a tool and wishes them luck, Zoca takes a different approach. And its AI agents manage the entire growth funnel, automatically identifying what services are in demand in a specific neighborhood, optimizing for discovery, converting leads into bookings, and re-engaging clients. The result is a done-for-you system that fills calendars and drives real revenue, not just clicks or leads.
Zoca operates a platform with hyperlocal intelligence – a proprietary engine that detects neighborhood-level demand patterns for services like “lymphatic drainage massage” or “glycolic facial,” which vary dramatically from block to block. The company’s data also shows that demand for “lymphatic drainage massage” can be three times higher in one part of a city compared to another area just miles away, while terms like “glycolic facial” follow entirely different patterns depending on local demographics. Rather than relying on generic keywords or city-wide trends, Zoca develops individualized strategies based on what people are actually searching for within a 5-mile radius, and then executes them all automatically using its AI agent workforce.
Zoca’s team empowers local businesses to get ahead. This includes optimizing across 50+ local ranking factors, building mobile-first websites, responding to leads 24/7 through conversational AI, and sending personalized retention SMS and email campaigns timed to each customer’s history. And Zoca has recently launched AI agents for paid ads and social media management, taking charge of the entire marketing value chain for a small local business. With Zoca, businesses get what used to require five tools, an agency retainer, and hours of work every week.
Momentum: Zoca has already helped over 1,000 local beauty & wellness businesses generate $10+ million in revenue, book more than 120,000 appointments, and save hundreds of hours on manual marketing tasks
Founders: Founded in 2024 by longtime friends and IIT Kharagpur classmates Ashish Verma and Robin Chauhan, Zoca was created out of a fundamental realization: while local service professionals are masters of their craft, the systems meant to support their growth simply weren’t designed with them in mind. And as more professionals left salon chains to open independent businesses, the gap became clear. These entrepreneurs weren’t failing because of talent: they were being failed by a system that never prioritized helping them get found, booked, and consistently in demand.
How the funding will be used: Zoca plans to expand its agent architecture, deepen its platform integrations, and bring its system to more verticals where professionals face the same time-based growth challenge. And the company believes the future of local business will be powered by invisible AI infrastructure – not dashboards, but agents quietly working in the background to drive outcomes.
KEY QUOTES:
“We saw a fundamental disconnect. These entrepreneurs are selling time, not products. Every empty chair is revenue they’ll never recover. The real challenge isn’t just visibility anymore—it’s everything that comes after it. Being found is one part, but converting leads, filling schedules, and retaining clients is where businesses either grow or stall.”
“What makes this space unique is the business model itself. These service professionals aren’t focused on selling more units—they’re maximizing their available time. So the ROI on every lead, every appointment, and every repeat visit directly impacts their bottom line. That’s why we built a system that addresses the entire customer journey, not just one piece of it.”
“In the next decade, the top local businesses around us won’t be big chains. Instead, they’ll be local professionals — quietly supercharged by AI that helps them attract more clients, keep them coming back, and grow faster than ever. At Zoca, we are making it possible for independent businesses to thrive without all the tech headaches and focus on delivering exceptional experiences to their customers.”
Ashish Verma, Zoca’s co-founder and CEO
“Google search is really important and so key words are critical for us. One of them is “tanning near me”. Zoca’s helped us stay on top and win. They are totally helping us with our rankings”. While Latasha Seawood, Owner of Slay by Vashae, said: “The first 30 days of using Zoca, my business went from maybe 3-4 people a day, into a queue. I was forced to turn people away. No lie. It was like a 30 day turnaround. If you search “sew-in” in your area, I pop up. And that’s because of Zoca.”
Gail Aungst, Co-owner of Ohana Sun Tanning
“Zoca is driving business outcomes for the underserved $750 billion local services market. Ashish and the team have the highest customer obsession with a deep understanding of AI in automating a significant number of use cases applicable to the local services market. Growth AI agents are just the beginning, Zoca will create an agent-led OS for every hyperlocal business to achieve full potential.”
Manasi Shah, Partner at Accel
“These businesses are the cornerstones of their communities, but most are being left behind in a digital and AI-first world. Zoca allows them to focus on what matters most: delivering an exceptional service to their customers. The growth, the customer retention and engagement – all on auto-pilot with Zoca’s AI platform. It’s a total game changer for these local businesses, and we couldn’t be more excited to support the Zoca team on their mission.”
Paul Irving, Partner at GTMfund
“Zoca arms every neighbourhood business with a 24/7 AI growth engine. Ashish and Robin’s passion and unique insights to serve this underserved market and help them transform with AI is truly outstanding. We are thrilled to back them as they build the operating system for hyperlocal services worldwide.”
Poorvi Vijay, Principal, Elevation Capital
