Heatseeker, the behavioral data platform redefining how companies understand audiences, today announced a strategic investment from HearstLab, Hearst’s mission-focused strategic corporate venture fund.
The investment marks the first close of Heatseeker’s $5 million seed round, following a $2.5 million pre-seed led by Capital F and including investment from Eastend Capital, and Euphemia.
Heatseeker helps marketers close advertising’s “say–do gap” by turning verified behavioral data into predictive insights. Its Market Experiments Engine lets brands see how audiences actually behave on social platforms before they launch.
“We're thrilled to invest in Heatseeker AI and their world-class team,” said Eastin Rossell, venture director at HearstLab. “We see tremendous opportunities to partner with Heatseeker across Hearst's global ecosystem of brands and portfolio companies. We're excited to support Kate, Fiona and Rutger as they continue their impressive growth and evolution.”
“With HearstLab’s investment, we’re expanding access to real behavioral data for brands that want to make smarter, faster creative decisions,” said Kate O’Keeffe, co-founder and CEO of Heatseeker. “Hearst has long been synonymous with trusted storytelling. Together, we’re bringing a new layer of evidence to the art and science of what connects with audiences.”
“From the very beginning, Heatseeker has stood out for its ability to turn complex human behavior into simple, actionable insight,” said Margaret Coblentz, general partner at Capital F, pre-seed lead investor and advisor to Heatseeker. “Kate, Fiona, and the team are building a platform that gives go-to-market teams the confidence to make critical decisions in days, not months, and seamlessly brings customer insights into every step of the business process. This new investment from HearstLab is powerful validation of both their vision and execution.”
From Guesswork to Proof
Heatseeker uses live behavioral data, such as clicks, sign-ups, and engagements, not surveys or intent signals, to simulate real audiences and predict which creative, message, or product will win with up to 90% accuracy.
To make these simulations more tangible, Heatseeker also visualizes audience behavior through lifelike, behaviorally trained AI avatars—digital representations of real audience segments that move, react, and respond like actual customers. This “customer in the room” experience gives marketers and creative teams a fast, intuitive way to see how campaigns will perform and why certain messages resonate.
Teams can run rapid “what-if” experiments across audiences and regions testing copy, pricing, or positioning and instantly see what drives attention, recall, and conversion. Instead of waiting weeks for research or campaign data, CMOs can get evidence-based answers in minutes.
At SXSW Sydney 2025, Heatseeker and KPMG showcased this capability through four data-trained customer avatars that let executives test ideas in real time, illustrating how AI and behavioral science are transforming decision-making across industries.
About Heatseeker
Heatseeker helps companies see what customers do, not what they say. Its Market Experiments Engine combines live testing with real buyers on social channels and always-on, AI-powered digital audiences trained on verified behavioral data. This approach lets brands simulate customer reactions, run predictive experiments, and surface answers grounded in real behavior, not opinion. Every result is backed by statistical confidence and transparent data provenance, closing the "say–do" gap that wastes time and budget.
Founded in Australia by Kate O’Keeffe, Fiona Triaca, and Rutger Coolen, Heatseeker is a global company with headquarters in Australia and the US, trusted by top Fortune 500 brands to move from research delays to real-time, evidence-based decisions.
Learn more at www.heatseeker.ai.
About HearstLab
HearstLab is a mission-focused strategic corporate venture fund providing cash investments and strategic support to women-led startups. Founded in 2016, HearstLab has invested globally in more than 80 companies with a combined valuation exceeding $2 billion. Portfolio companies benefit from access to resources across Hearst's 360+ businesses and a Scout network of 220+ women leaders who provide expertise and strategic guidance. HearstLab invests from the pre-seed to Series A stages with a mission to close the gender gap in venture capital.
Learn more at www.hearstlab.com.
Media Contact
Lindsey Plocek
Head of Product Marketing, Heatseeker
lindsey@heatseeker.ai
