Keplar’s Funding and Backers

Keplar, a market‑research startup founded two years ago, closed a seed financing round of $3.4 million. The round was led by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins and included participation from SV Angel, Common Metal and South Park Commons. The capital infusion is intended to accelerate the development of Keplar’s voice‑AI platform and expand its client base.

Founders and Vision

The company was created by former Google engineer Dhruv Guliani, who worked on speech and voice‑AI models, and machine‑learning engineer William Wen. Both participated in the South Park Commons founder fellowship program. Their conversations with market‑research professionals revealed that traditional tools—written surveys and human‑conducted interviews—could be replaced by conversational AI, prompting the launch of Keplar.

How the Platform Works

Keplar’s technology allows companies to set up research studies in minutes. Users can input any product‑related question, and the platform automatically creates an interview moderation guide. A voice assistant then contacts participants, asks probing questions, and records responses. When integrated with a client’s CRM, the AI can reach out directly to existing customers. After the conversations, the system packages the insights into reports and PowerPoint presentations that mimic the format of conventional market‑research deliverables.

Impact on the Research Process

The voice‑AI approach dramatically reduces the time and cost associated with traditional market research. Participants often forget they are speaking with an AI, leading to natural, candid feedback. Keplar’s early adopters, including Clorox and Intercom, have reported faster turnaround and lower expenses compared with legacy research firms.

Competitive Landscape

Keplar is not the sole AI company targeting the research market. Outset, another competitor, raised $17 million in a Series A round led by 8VC, while Listen Labs secured $27 million from Sequoia. These firms, along with Keplar, illustrate a growing trend toward AI‑driven insights in the enterprise sector.

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