MAI, an AI platform for performance marketing, is officially launching its flagship product alongside a $25 million Seed funding round led by Kleiner Perkins. The startup, also backed by Gaorong Ventures and UpHonest Capital, aims to put enterprise-level digital ad capabilities into the hands of small and mid-sized businesses.

The platform’s secret sauce? AI agents that autonomously manage Google Ads, optimizing campaigns 24/7 and learning each business’s unique products, audience, and goals. Early adopters report 40% higher sales, and MAI already manages millions in monthly ad spend for brands like Dreo, DrWoof, Flamingo, NutritionFaktory, Patpat, Velotric, and Vivaia.

Solving a Pain Point for SMBs

Digital advertising is a growth engine—but also a minefield for smaller teams. Fragmented channels, time-consuming campaign management, and opaque agency fees leave many SMBs struggling to scale profitably. MAI’s agents address these issues by:

• Automating Google Ads management: Campaign setup, monitoring, and adjustments happen without human intervention.

• Optimizing in real time: Budgets, bids, and creatives are tuned continuously to maximize ROI.

• Adapting to each business: AI agents learn from your unique data rather than applying generic rules.

• Detecting issues instantly: From stockouts to broken codes, problems are flagged before they waste ad spend.

• Scaling efficiently: Thousands of products and creative variations can be managed simultaneously.

Co-founder and CEO Yuchen Wu framed the challenge: “Advanced advertising tools have historically been out of reach for small and mid-sized businesses. MAI’s agents do the heavy lifting so business owners can focus on growing their companies.”

Market Opportunity

E-commerce continues to expand at roughly 8% annually, even surpassing pre-Covid peaks, while customer acquisition becomes more competitive and costly. Direct-to-consumer brands and consumer apps are increasingly reliant on paid search and display ads, yet often lack the in-house expertise to manage campaigns effectively. MAI positions itself as an accessible, autonomous solution, effectively giving SMBs “enterprise-level ad teams” without the overhead.

Early testimonials underscore the value proposition. Mike Bires, CEO of NutritionFaktory, noted: “With MAI we can see clearly that the ads just work. The impact to the business is felt almost immediately.”

Kleiner Perkins partner Josh Coyne added: “MAI’s approach is bold and refreshingly pragmatic. The combination of deep ad platform expertise and empathy for growth businesses sets them apart.”

The Takeaway

MAI is betting that AI can level the playing field in digital advertising. By automating complex campaign management and real-time optimization, it gives SMBs a competitive edge previously reserved for enterprise players—an especially compelling proposition as digital ad spend continues to dominate growth strategies.

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