As more consumers turn to AI platforms for information and recommendations, businesses face a new challenge: understanding how their brands appear in AI-generated answers.
Searchable, an AI visibility platform, is expanding its presence in this emerging market through the acquisition of Meridian Tech, Inc., a New York-based AI search visibility startup, in a seven-figure deal announced on September 21, 2026.
The acquisition forms part of Searchable’s broader expansion into the United States, which also includes opening an office in Salt Lake City. Meridian’s customers, including APL, MedCline and VKTRY, will migrate to Searchable’s platform, while Meridian’s product will be integrated into Searchable’s offering.
The transaction is among the first acquisitions between two dedicated startups in answer engine optimization (AEO), a growing field focused on helping brands appear and earn recommendations within AI-generated responses.
For businesses, this adds another dimension to online visibility. Alongside traditional search rankings, companies are increasingly looking at whether AI platforms mention their brands, cite their content, or recommend their products and services.
Searchable now works with more than 1,000 brands, tracking mentions, citations, and comparisons across 10 AI engines. Its platform draws on a dataset covering more than one billion AI citations and 400 million brand mentions, helping companies understand their visibility and identify opportunities to improve it.
The acquisition follows Searchable’s $14 million seed funding round in May 2026, led by Headline at an $85 million valuation. According to a market forecast from Mordor Intelligence, the AI search visibility services market is projected to reach $10.7 billion by 2031.
“American brands are some of the furthest ahead in the AI visibility race,” said Chris Donnelly, co-founder and CEO of Searchable. “Meridian brings us a strong base of businesses that want to push their AEO strategy even further.”
Meridian, which launched publicly in October 2025, was built to address the limited insight businesses had into how AI chatbots presented their brands to potential customers.
“We launched Meridian because it was clear just how little visibility businesses had over how people are finding them and what people are reading about them inside AI chatbots,” said Alex Dees, co-founder and CEO of Meridian. “Searchable’s team and product will be vital in continuing to lead that mission for Meridian’s customers.”
Founded in London and New York in late 2025 by Chris Donnelly, Sam Hogan and Arya Nagabhyru, Searchable helps brands understand, track and improve their presence across AI search.
The acquisition highlights a developing shift in how customers discover and evaluate companies. As AI-generated recommendations become another route to discovery, understanding what these platforms say about a business is becoming an increasingly relevant part of its marketing strategy.
Source: Searchable