Adtech Startup Gravity Raises $30.5M for AI Chatbot Ads

An adtech startup focused exclusively on advertising within AI platforms has closed a significant funding round, positioning itself to capitalize on what its founders believe will become one of the world's largest advertising channels.

Gravity announced it raised $30.5 million in Series A funding co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Committed Capital, bringing total capital raised to $38.5 million, according to details first reported by Business Insider.

A full-stack platform for AI-native advertising

The company operates across three layers of the AI advertising ecosystem. Its demand-side platform helps brands place ads within AI chatbots and agents. A supply-side platform enables AI application developers to monetize through advertising. An exchange connects buyers and sellers, while measurement and creative tools round out the offering.

Gravity currently places text-based advertisements in AI assistants including ChatGPT, Codebuff, EcoGPT, Daimon, Magneta, Runable, and CTO.new. Advertisers using the platform have included Best Buy, Target, Vercel, and MongoDB.

Testing agent-to-agent commerce

Beyond ads visible to human users, Gravity is piloting an "agent-to-agent" product where AI systems receive advertiser product catalogs—complete with current features and promotions—when making recommendations. When an agent searches for shoes, for example, it receives detailed information from multiple advertisers to inform its suggestions.

Cofounder Zach Oldham told Business Insider the company plans to integrate direct payment capabilities, allowing agents to complete purchases once users approve.

Why it matters

The AI advertising market is attracting substantial attention and capital as platforms seek sustainable business models beyond subscriptions. WPP Media projects global spending on generative AI search ads will reach $100 billion by 2030. OpenAI has forecast its own ad business hitting that milestone in the same timeframe. Oldham believes even these projections underestimate the opportunity, calling the potential market "much larger than they realize."

Oldham said expanding ad availability in large language models could push more AI platforms toward free access models, potentially accelerating adoption while creating new revenue streams.

Competing in a crowded field

Gravity faces formidable competition. Google operates the world's largest advertising business and is integrating AI throughout its products. OpenAI has already partnered with established adtech players including Adobe, StackAdapt, and Criteo. Numerous other advertising technology companies are entering the space.

Oldham argues Gravity's competitive edge comes from its AI-native focus and full-stack approach serving both advertisers and publishers. "Because we're owning the full stack, we benefit from true network effects as we scale," he said. "Our network gets smarter every day that goes by."

Business Insider first reported the funding details.