$32m Funding for Pogo's SKU-Level Panel and Platform

US firm Pogo has raised $32 million in funding, with which to expand its AI-based research platform putting users in direct conversation with verified buyers of 'any' product, in 'a matter of hours.'

Pogo was founded in 2020 in New York by Oskar Melking, Shikhar Mohan and Dom Wong, and offers an app giving access to 3 million opted-in US consumers, representing one in every 150 US shopping trips, or more than $470 billion in transaction value. Clients can select targets by SKU-level purchasing, schedule large numbers of AI-moderated interviews with this audience, run quant survey, and also gather behavioral intelligence including card transactions, digital and physical receipts, app usage and location visits. Consumers are rewarded for participation with cash, as well as fee refunds, class action settlements, insurance savings, and other benefits.

Based on a simple input description of target audience and requirements, Pogo's AI generates a discussion guide, launches video interviews and delivers transcripts, highlight reels and recommendations.

Investors in the round included Josh Buckley (Buckley Ventures), Mantis (The Chainsmokers), 20VC (Harry Stebbings), Village Global, Lenny Rachitsky and the founders of Honey.

According to Pogo, 'As AI exhausts public data, the real competitive advantage for brands will be high-fidelity consumer feedback.' CEO and co-founder Wong suggests: 'If we do our job right, Pogo becomes the world's most trusted source of human truth. The facts of what people bought, when, and how often, but also the story behind it: the emotion, the context, what drove them. The result is a better system for all sides: smarter decisions for businesses, better products and services for consumers, and a new way for people to earn by sharing their lived experiences.'

Web site: www.joinpogo.com .

Pictured is the pogo logo (OK that's obvious, but couldn't resist typing it)

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.