DOJO AI has announced the completion of a $1 million pre-seed funding round to democratize enterprise-grade marketing capabilities for challenger brands through artificial intelligence.
HEARTFELT, described as “Europe’s first cheque fund” and focusing on pre-seed startups, led the funding round. The round also attracted a notable group of angel investors from prominent technology companies, namely Broadvoice, ServiceNow, PensionBee, Expedia, Syngenta, Adobe, and ProjectA.
Founded by Duarte Garrido and António Alegria, DOJO AI has built what it calls the first AI Marketing Operating System designed specifically for challenger brands. The platform consolidates over 10 traditional marketing tools into a single AI-powered solution managed by their “Sensei” copilot system.
Strong early traction
DOJO AI has already secured over 20 clients across the U.S. and UK, including PensionBee US, Ecologi | B Corp™, Yonder, ThruDark, DeMellier, Broadvoice, Amplemarket, Work.Life, HubStar, and Unbabel.
“Eight months ago, António Alegria and I had a vision: what if challenger brands could compete with enterprise giants without the complexity, cost, and chaos of fragmented marketing tools?” said Garrido. “Today, that vision is becoming reality.”
The platform covers comprehensive marketing functions including market research, brand strategy, content production, and paid performance advertising. According to the company, it operates without feature gates or implementation fees, making enterprise-quality marketing capabilities accessible to smaller brands.
Alegria emphasized the market need, saying, “After seeing countless ambitious brands struggle with fragmented marketing tools and expensive agencies, we built something different: the first AI Marketing Operating System designed specifically for challenger brands.”
Future plans and market impact
The fresh capital will be deployed primarily toward hiring a world-class engineering team to accelerate product development and expand the platform’s capabilities. The company, with a team based in Lisbon and London, positions itself not just as a marketing solution but as a disruptive force across the broader AI platform landscape.
“Our vision? Transform every marketer into a master of their craft, powered by AI agents that handle everything from data analysis to campaign optimization,” added Alegria. “This funding will accelerate our mission to democratize world-class marketing capabilities. Because every brand deserves to compete at the highest level.”
The funding comes at a time when the AI sector continues to attract significant investment. Global venture funding in 2024 reached close to $314 billion, with AI showing the biggest leap in amounts year to year, indicating strong investor confidence in artificial intelligence applications.
Featured image: António Alegria (left) and Duarte Garrido, co-founders of DOJO AI (Photo source: DOJO AI)
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