• UAE- and Lebanon-based BY Venture Partners has participated in an oversubscribed $2 million pre-Seed round for Canadian AI startup ChatFeatured, alongside Storytime Capital and Garage Capital, to support the development of AI-powered search optimisation tools.
• Founded in 2026 by Farris Nasr and Nithiiyan Skhanthan, ChatFeatured develops an AI search optimisation (Answer Engine Optimisation - AEO) platform that helps brands improve their visibility across AI-powered search platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity by identifying citation gaps and automating content creation.
• The fresh capital will be used to expand the company's team, accelerate go-to-market efforts, and develop autonomous AI agents capable of identifying and resolving AI search visibility issues for marketing teams.

Press release:

Abu Dhabi-based BY Venture Partners has joined an oversubscribed $2 million pre-Seed funding round for Canadian AI startup ChatFeatured, backing the company's mission to help brands improve their visibility across AI-powered search platforms. The round was led by Storytime Capital, with participation from Garage Capital and BY Venture Partners, and will support the next stage of the company's product development and commercial expansion.

Founded in 2026 by Farris Nasr and Nithiiyan Skhanthan, ChatFeatured has developed an Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) platform that enables marketing teams to monitor how brands appear in AI-generated responses across platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. The platform identifies visibility gaps, recommends content improvements, and automates content creation and publishing to help companies increase AI citations and referral traffic.

The company said it has expanded into five countries within six months of launch and has been growing by more than 40% month-on-month. The new funding will be used to grow its team, accelerate go-to-market activities, and build autonomous AI search agents that act as extensions of marketing teams by proactively identifying optimisation opportunities and executing them automatically.

For BY Venture Partners, the investment aligns with its strategy of supporting globally scalable artificial intelligence startups while connecting international founders with capital, expertise, and strategic networks across the MENA region. The deal also reflects growing investor interest in companies building infrastructure for the emerging AI search economy, as businesses increasingly optimise content for AI-generated answers rather than traditional search engines.