Abu Dhabi-based venture capital firm BY Venture Partners has announced its participation in an oversubscribed US$2 million pre-seed funding round for ChatFeatured, a Canadian artificial intelligence startup specializing in search optimization for AI engines. The round was led by Storytime Capital, with additional participation from Garage Capital.
Pioneering The Next Generation Of Search Optimization
As brand discovery increasingly shifts away from traditional search engines toward generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, marketing teams are facing new visibility challenges. Founded in January 2025 by Farris N., Nithiiyan Skhanthan, and Ryan Nahas, ChatFeatured addresses this critical shift by helping brands optimize how they are recommended by large language models.
Unlike traditional SEO tools that merely report where a brand appears, ChatFeatured provides an active execution layer. Over the past six months, the startup has expanded its operations across five countries and achieved a month-over-month growth rate exceeding 40%. The newly raised capital will be deployed to develop the next iteration of the platform: an autonomous Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) agent designed specifically for marketing teams.
A Default Global Strategy From Abu Dhabi
For BY Venture Partners, operating out of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the investment aligns with its mandate to act as a default-global venture firm with deep MENA roots. The firm highlighted that the ChatFeatured team stood out from their initial conversations due to their clarity of vision, exceptional execution, and ambition to define an emerging category in the AI ecosystem.
By participating in this competitive pre-seed round, BY Venture Partners continues to bridge capital and strategic support between the Middle East and early-stage innovators shaping the global tech landscape from day one.
About ChatFeatured
ChatFeatured is a Canadian AI search optimization platform built to help brands move beyond analytics and actively improve how they are discovered and recommended by AI search engines. By utilizing AI agents, automated audits, competitor analysis, and end-to-end content workflows, the platform turns complex AI search data into clear, prioritized actions that influence how AI models perceive and represent brands.
About BY Venture Partners
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), BY Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm backed by a broad and diversified LP base of operating companies. The firm leverages its deep MENA roots and extensive network of subject-matter experts to provide empathetic support and international connections, empowering exceptional founders to scale globally.
Source: BY Venture Partners
