NEW YORK: Ideally, an artificial intelligence-powered market research platform used by brands including Google, Asahi, Revlon, Omnicom and KFC, announced Tuesday the U.S. launch of its new product, Ideally Canvas, alongside a $10 million Series A funding round.
The platform aims to speed up consumer insight gathering, replacing months of traditional research with real feedback in less than 24 hours. Ideally’s system collects responses from consumers across more than 30 countries and compiles them into a dashboard where AI identifies patterns, segments audiences and generates follow-up questions based on actual consumer input.
Unlike traditional point-in-time research tools, each survey on Ideally feeds into a growing dataset that compounds over time, connecting consumer attitudes and category dynamics to make subsequent tests more effective. The company says this approach allows teams to test ideas early, uncover opportunities and make data-driven decisions at a fraction of the cost.
The $10 million round, led by Shearwater Capital with participation from Altered Capital, Icehouse Ventures and Ecliptic VC, values Ideally at more than $59 million. The funding will support U.S. expansion and continued development of its AI-driven insights platform.
“The best creative work has always come from genuinely understanding real people, but that understanding has been locked behind months of waiting and six-figure budgets. That world is over,” said James Donald, CEO of Ideally, in a statement.
After rapid growth in Australia and New Zealand, where it has partnered with DoorDash, Afterpay, Asahi and Hanes, Ideally is bringing its Canvas product to the U.S. market for the first time. The launch coincides with the opening of a new office led by co-founder and chief revenue officer Joshua Nu’u-Steele.
“Every marketing leader I talk to in the U.S. has the same problem: their insights team is stretched thin, their timelines are impossible, and they’re making million-dollar decisions on data that’s already six months old,” Nu’u-Steele said.
“Ideally is built for how modern teams actually work, and the U.S. market is more than ready for it.”