Former Cintrifuse CEO Pete Blackshaw and Hank Hudepohl, a former VP of core products at Paycor, have teamed up to launch a new Cincinnati-based startup.
It’s called Brandrank.ai, and its mission is to empower businesses with the insights and guidance they need to protect and grow their brands in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Blackshaw, a longtime entrepreneur and former Nestle executive, previously led Cintrifuse since 2018. He left earlier this month to dive headfirst into the new venture.
“I've been completely hooked by what's happening with the generative AI revolution, and in my view, even if you took out 90% of the hype, you've got a disruption that's easily bigger than electricity,” Blackshaw, who is serving as Brandrank.ai's CEO, told me. “It's risky, but every once in a while, there's a moment in history where you almost never forgive yourself if you don’t jump in."
Hudepohl left his job at Paycor to join the startup as a co-founder and chief operating officer. The two have known each other for two decades.
“We've been having conversations (we) and both decided the moment is now,” Hudepohl said. “There’s been no bigger events or innovation. This is bigger than smartphones. This is bigger than the internet itself.”
Blackshaw and Hudepohl announced the launch of their new company along with their first pilot customer, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), earlier this week at a UC Digital Futures events. Blackshaw said they "very intentionally" went after the BBB, "because we wanted to get a really strong trust tail over what we’re doing."
The startup operates in the responsible AI field with a focus on brand truth; the initial focus is on how the AI search experience will impact brands. Blackshaw and Hudepohl believe the search engine optimization marketplace is quickly being taken over by generative AI.
“Google has enjoyed 25 years of leadership. They’re probably one of the most successful businesses in history. The invention of generative AI in the hands of the consumer totally disrupts it,” Hudepohl said.
The first answer in Google's search results gets over 30% of the share while the second answer gets around 20%, according to Hudepohl.
“Now I've got over 50% in the top two answers, and then you've got the long tail behind it,” he said. “In the generative AI model, we're actually interacting in the search box. You never leave the first answer. You're just playing with the back and forth. That matters because it wins all shares.”
Generative AI is also going to win the consumer simply because it's a better experience, Hudepohl said. “You ask the question; you get an answer. It helps you with your decision," he said. "It'll make decisions for you, and it's fast.”
The company is metering search results and then packaging that information in a way that's actionable for brand builders. It will monitor how brands are perceived in the digital ecosystem, with a hyper focus on what the founders are calling “must-win areas” such as trust, sustainability, product performance, supply chain integrity and service.
“We’ll work directly with companies on areas of concern, but we also can bring to them benchmarks and competitive analysis. So, those engagements will more or less dominate the early days as we build out more of the technology capability,” Hudepohl said. “Ultimately, we see ourselves as a blended SaaS (software-as-a-service) model.”
According to its website, Brandrank.ai offers a subscription platform and consultive insight that combines data analytics and human interaction intel for chief marketing officers, market managers and brand stewards.
“Our operating model right now is to stay focused on understanding what the problems are so we can design things that are actually right for the customer,” Hudepohl said. “We’re not going to ivory tower build something and bring it to market in a year and hope it lands well. We’ve got to do that a little bit differently.”
Blackshaw added that everyone is a deer in the headlights when it comes to AI, but everyone is using it.
“It might feel like we're two people in front of a large parade,” Hudepohl said. "I think what isn't widely recognized right now is that this isn't a parade. It's the new reality. Ignore it at your own peril.”
The founders said the company is already generating a lot of interest. In addition to the BBB, it has four food service companies in its sales pipeline.
Right now, the company is based at the Strietmann Center, located at 235 W. 12th St. in Over-the-Rhine. The team includes a few interns along with some outsourced talent.
“We're lean, and we're loving being lean,” Blackshaw said. “We want to signal to our investors that we are going to think and act like a startup.”
Blackshaw plans on announcing additional fundraising opportunities within the next few months. The original fundraising plan has shifted.
“It’s tough because this is such a fast-moving marketplace," Blackshaw said.
“With all the pilot customers, we need to hit it out of the park," he added. "We need to create virility, and I’m very confident we will. Those are the things that venture capitalists, angel investors, employees and partners look at.”
