Hightouch reaches $100M ARR powered by AI-powered marketing tools

In the past, marketers relied on designers and other graphic designers to create images and videos for online marketing campaigns.

In late 2024, seven-year-old Hightouch launched an AI-powered service that allows marketing professionals to create content for brands like Domino’s, Chime, PetSmart, and Spotify without involving brand teams or marketing agencies.

The offering has been very successful. Since releasing its AI 20 months ago, Hightouch has added $70 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), it tells TechCrunch, bringing the startup to $100 million in ARR.

“Before Gen AI, it was impossible for someone without years of technical experience to create valuable products,” said Kashish Gupta, CEO of Hightouch. The company is also led by Co-CEO Tejas Manohar, formerly the engineering manager at Segment, the customer service platform acquired by Twilio. $3.2 billion in 2020.

However, Hightouch’s approach goes beyond what AI models can do on their own.

Hightouch says that many brands initially tried to create ads using basic models – advanced AI machines that are electronic devices like chatbots but do not know other types – only to find images and videos that failed to achieve “on-brand”.

“The original foundation was not aware of the type of consumer, whether it was colors or fonts, tones, or properties,” says Gupta. “LLMs can show things that don’t exist, and you can’t advertise and email about things that don’t exist.”

To ensure quality consistency, Hightouch integrates directly with its customers’ existing creative tools, such as the popular Figma platform, image libraries, and content management systems (CMS).

Using these sources, the platform “learns” the brand of the company. Hightouch’s AI assistants then use images, designs, and customer insights to help advertisers create ad campaigns on their own, without waiting for designers or developers.

The purpose of Hightouch’s AI is to create photos and videos that look like they were created by professional designers, avoiding the “fake” or natural look that is often associated with AI.

“For example, Domino’s can’t make pizza,” says Gupta. “They’re always going to use existing pizza images, and they’re going to put in an ad where the base can be built, and other things can be built around it.”

The company, which now employs about 380 people, was valued at $1.2 billion in February 2025 when it raised funds. $80 million Series C funding round led by Sapphire Ventures.

Pictured above, left to right: Tejas Manohar and Kashish Gupta