Sequen snags $16M to bring TikTok-style personalization tech to any consumer company

Zoë Weil, a former Etsy executive who significantly boosted the online marketplace's gross merchandise volume, is now on a mission with her startup, Sequen. With a fresh $16 million in Series A funding, Sequen aims to leverage years of AI research to empower various consumer businesses with advanced personalization technology. Sequen provides real-time personalization and ranking infrastructure that has been primarily available to major tech companies, largely due to the extensive datasets typically required to utilize such systems. While many consumers may not grasp the intricacies of this technology, they have undoubtedly experienced its influence through popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Weil, who serves as CEO, emphasizes that modern technology goes beyond mere content recommendations; it subtly shapes consumer desires over time. She attributes this capability to what she terms the Large Event Model, which generalizes human behavior and event streams, contrasting it with the Large Language Models used in chatbots like ChatGPT. Sequen's technology has the potential to replace traditional tracking methods like cookies, which have raised privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny. Unlike cookies, Sequen’s models learn from real-time user interactions—including hovers and conversations—without relying on user identity. This allows for effective personalization even with limited data, achieving rapid decision-making in under 20 milliseconds. Weil reports that businesses employing Sequen's technology have seen significant revenue increases. For instance, a furniture company experienced a 7% revenue boost after switching to Sequen, a stark contrast to their previous 0.4% gains. Another client, Fetch Rewards, noted a 20% revenue increase in just 11 days. The startup's pricing model is based on requests per second, with options to scale as needed, and initial contracts have reached seven figures among its first clients. Having processed around 10 billion requests monthly within 18 months, Sequen has already secured business with several Fortune 500 companies. The New York-based startup boasts a talented team, including former employees from major firms like DeepMind and Meta. With its recent funding led by White Star Capital and Threshold Ventures, Sequen has raised a total of $22 million, positioning itself as a key player in the evolution of consumer personalization technology.