Ex-Baidu team raises tens of millions of yuan for AI marketing startup Deep Cloud Sea
What's the deal? Deep Cloud SeaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Shanghai-based AI marketing startup, has raised a tens-of-millions-of-yuan angel round led by HGTech (华工科技)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a listed company. It plans to spend the money on its in-house technology base, overseas expansion, product upgrades, and hiring AI talent.
What does it do? The company specialises in generative engine optimisation (GEO) — making AI tools such as ChatGPTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, DeepSeek, and Doubao recommend client brands in their answers. Its products include a GEO results-as-a-service (RaaS) system, with domestic and overseas versions, and a desktop marketing agent called DeepWork.
Who's behind it? Founded in June 2025, Deep Cloud Sea has a team of more than 70, with a core group drawn from Baidu's search division. Chief executive officer Qian Cheng, a serial founder, was previously general manager of Baidu Shanghai; two of his earlier companies were later acquired by Trip.comDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Didi.
The numbers: In its first year the startup says it has served more than 3,000 business clients and reached annual revenue in the tens of millions of yuan. Its customers cluster in sectors such as machinery, chemicals and energy, electronics, and education.
Why now? Qian argues GEO entered a technical turning point in the second half of 2026, shifting from a traffic-driven phase to a technology-driven one. Large models now pull from up to 60 cited sources, up from 10, and increasingly weight authoritative content over self-published posts, which he says has fallen to about one tenth of citation weight.
What's the endgame? Qian wants the firm to grow beyond a single GEO service provider into a broad AI enterprise marketing platform. The company has built an eight-layer knowledge graph and applied for several software copyrights and patents around its self-developed GEO algorithm engine.
What could go wrong? Qian estimates startups have a two-to-three-year window as the sector consolidates. He expects small GEO firms that lack technology, investment, or operational capability to fall behind as the bar for measurable results rises.
The signal: As users shift from search engines to AI assistants, a new marketing layer is forming around how brands appear inside model outputs. Deep Cloud Sea's raise signals investor appetite for the GEO category — and a bet that technical depth, not volume, will decide who survives the shakeout.
Read more: 36kr.com
Image credit: Serpstat
