For decades, Fortune 500 companies have relied on traditional market research firms to gain insights into customer satisfaction. These services often come with substantial costs and can take weeks to deliver results. Enter Keplar, a pioneering startup leveraging voice AI to transform the landscape of market research. By conducting customer interviews through advanced conversational AI, Keplar provides clients with rapid analysis at a fraction of the cost associated with conventional research methods.
On September 17, 2025, Keplar announced a successful seed funding round, securing $3.4 million. The round was led by the esteemed venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, with additional participation from SV Angel, Common Metal, and South Park Commons. This investment underscores the growing confidence in AI-driven solutions to modernize and streamline business processes.
Origins and Vision
The inception of Keplar dates back to 2023 when Dhruv Guliani, a former Google engineer specializing in speech and voice AI models, and machine learning expert William Wen, joined forces during the South Park Commons founder fellowship program. Their collaboration was driven by a shared realization: the traditional tools employed by market researchers—such as written surveys and human-conducted interviews—were ripe for disruption through conversational AI.
Guliani and Wen engaged with numerous market researchers and brand managers, identifying a pressing need for more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective methods to gather customer insights. This led to the development of Keplar’s platform, designed to revolutionize how companies conduct market research.
How Keplar Works
Keplar’s platform empowers companies to initiate studies within minutes. Users can input any product-related question, which the system then transforms into a comprehensive interview moderation guide. Keplar’s voice assistant reaches out to participants, posing probing questions to uncover detailed feedback on what customers appreciate or dislike about a product.
For clients who grant Keplar access to their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, the AI voice researcher can directly engage with existing customers. The insights gathered from these AI-driven conversations are compiled into detailed reports and PowerPoint presentations, mirroring the deliverables traditionally provided by human market researchers.
The advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) have been pivotal to Keplar’s success. Guliani notes that the quality of voice AI has reached a point where study participants often forget they are interacting with an AI. These conversations feel incredibly real. When you play everything back, you can even hear participants address the AI moderator by name: Ellie, Andrew, or Ryan, he remarked.
Clientele and Market Position
Keplar has already attracted notable clients, including Clorox and Intercom, demonstrating the platform’s versatility and effectiveness across different industries. By offering a faster, more affordable alternative to traditional market research, Keplar is positioning itself as a formidable player in the industry.
Competitive Landscape
Keplar is not alone in recognizing the potential of AI to disrupt the customer research market. Competitors such as Outset, which secured a $17 million Series A funding led by 8VC in June, and Listen Labs, which raised $27 million from Sequoia in April, are also making strides in this space. However, Keplar’s unique approach and backing from prominent investors like Kleiner Perkins provide it with a competitive edge.
The Future of Market Research
The integration of AI into market research signifies a broader trend toward automation and efficiency in business processes. By reducing the time and cost associated with traditional methods, AI-driven platforms like Keplar enable companies to be more agile and responsive to customer feedback. This shift not only benefits businesses but also enhances the overall customer experience by facilitating more timely and relevant interactions.
As AI technology continues to evolve, the potential applications within market research are vast. From sentiment analysis to predictive modeling, AI can provide deeper insights and more accurate forecasts, empowering companies to make informed decisions. Keplar’s success serves as a testament to the transformative power of AI in reshaping traditional industries.
Conclusion
Keplar’s innovative use of voice AI to conduct customer interviews marks a significant advancement in the field of market research. By offering a faster, more cost-effective solution, the startup is challenging the status quo and setting a new standard for how companies gather and analyze customer insights. With substantial backing from investors and a growing roster of clients, Keplar is poised to lead the charge in the AI-driven transformation of market research.
