Cheers

Cheers is a San Francisco, California-based technology company that develops an AI-native platform designed to help multi-location service businesses optimize their visibility across AI recommendation engines. The software manages review content, directory listings, and structured data while tracking AI visibility to ensure that businesses rank highly in local search results. By attributing reviews and referrals to specific employees and locations, the platform enables clients like Vivint to generate over 70,000 five-star reviews in five months and achieve top rankings on ChatGPT. The system specifically targets visibility optimization for major generative AI search systems, including Perplexity. Operating with a core team of two employees, the startup recently reported a 115 percent growth rate over 40 days and is backed by Y Combinator. Cheers was founded in 2024 by Dylan Allen-Arnegård and Amadeus Peterson.

High-Level Overview

Cheers is a service business-focused platform that helps local service providers win visibility and customer engagement through optimized local search on AI-powered tools like ChatGPT. It builds technology and strategies that enable businesses—such as franchises, retail shops, and hospitality services—to appear prominently in ChatGPT’s local search results, which rely heavily on Bing’s search index and structured data sources. By focusing on AI-driven local SEO, Cheers addresses the growing need for businesses to adapt their online presence to new AI search paradigms, helping them capture local demand effectively and grow their customer base.

For an investment firm backing such a company, the mission would center on accelerating AI and local search innovation in service sectors, with an investment philosophy emphasizing startups that leverage AI to transform local discovery and customer acquisition. Key sectors include AI-driven marketing tech, local SEO platforms, and service business enablement. Their impact on the startup ecosystem lies in fostering tools that bridge traditional local SEO with emerging AI search engines, thus reshaping how local businesses compete and thrive.

Origin Story

Cheers likely emerged from the recognition that traditional local SEO strategies—dominated by Google Business Profiles—were insufficient for the new AI search landscape, where ChatGPT and similar tools rely on Bing’s index, Foursquare data, and structured web content. The founders, possibly with backgrounds in AI, local marketing, or search technology, identified a gap in helping service businesses optimize for this shift. Early traction would have come from pilot programs with franchises or local service providers seeing measurable improvements in AI-driven local visibility and customer inquiries.

Core Differentiators

• AI-Centric Local SEO Expertise: Focus on optimizing for ChatGPT’s unique search architecture, which relies on Bing’s index, Foursquare data, and structured schema markup rather than Google-centric signals.
• Comprehensive Profile Management: Ensures businesses have complete, consistent Bing Places and Foursquare listings, plus structured data on websites to maximize AI visibility.
• Integration of Reviews and Local Content: Emphasizes recent reviews, local backlinks, and rich, location-specific content to boost credibility and ranking in AI search results.
• User-Friendly Tools and Support: Provides actionable checklists and automation to help businesses quickly implement best practices for AI local search.
• Data-Driven Insights: Uses analytics to track how businesses perform in ChatGPT and Bing local results, enabling continuous optimization.

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Cheers rides the wave of AI transforming search behavior, particularly the shift from traditional keyword-based search to conversational, intent-driven AI queries. The timing is critical as ChatGPT and similar models become primary tools for local discovery, demanding new SEO strategies. Market forces include Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, the rise of voice and conversational search, and growing consumer reliance on AI for local recommendations. Cheers influences the ecosystem by enabling service businesses to adapt quickly, thus accelerating AI adoption in local marketing and setting standards for AI-optimized local presence.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Going forward, Cheers is positioned to expand its platform capabilities to cover emerging AI search engines beyond ChatGPT, incorporate real-time data feeds, and deepen integration with voice assistants and maps. Trends shaping their journey include increasing AI reliance for local commerce, evolving AI ranking algorithms, and growing demand for personalized, hyperlocal customer experiences. Their influence will likely grow as they help define best practices for AI local SEO, making them a key player in the intersection of AI, search, and local business growth. This aligns with the broader shift toward AI-first local marketing strategies, ensuring service businesses remain competitive in an AI-driven world.