If you’re a venture-backed tech startup, chances are you’ve been hearing more about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) lately. Founders, marketers, and investors are all asking the same question:

How do we show up accurately and consistently in AI-generated answers?

We recently spent time with Ethan Smith, CEO of Graphite, the leading AEO/GEO agency, at our Coffee Coffer event (yes, we have more you can sign up for!). The takeaway from the session was refreshingly honest: This is still the wild west.

There is no perfect playbook yet. But there are clear ways startups can win right now by focusing on fundamentals that most teams overlook.

Below is what actually matters today, and how venture-backed startups should act on it.

First, a Reset: How AI Is Really “Finding” You

Most AI models are not yet evaluating brands the way Google’s search algorithm does.

They’re not deeply ranking domain authority.
They’re not parsing nuanced SEO tricks.
They’re not distinguishing between “earned” and “owned” in the traditional way. 

Instead, they are pattern-matching.

They look for repeated, consistent signals across the internet and synthesize those into answers.

That’s the opportunity.

1. Consistency Beats Cleverness (Every Time)

The single biggest AEO/GEO advantage right now is narrative consistency.

AI models reward brands that say the same thing, the same way, in many places.

That means your messaging needs to align across:

• Your website (especially homepage, About page, and product pages)
• Crunchbase and PitchBook
• LinkedIn company page and executive bios
• X, Instagram, and other social profiles
• Glassdoor and employer branding surfaces

If you describe your company five different ways in five different places, AI will average you out — often incorrectly.

Action for founders: Pick one clear description of -

• What you do
• Who you’re for
• The category you play in

Then mirror that language everywhere. This is not the moment for experimentation.

2. Yes, Press Releases Matter Again

Press releases are having a comeback — not because journalists suddenly love them more, but because AI models love structure.

Press releases are:

• Written with objective language
• Repetitive by design
• Syndicated across many sites
• Explicit about who you are and why you matter

Right now, models are not sophisticated enough to discount press releases based on domain authority or perceived “PR fluff.” They ingest them as factual inputs.

Action for startups: Use press releases deliberately to reinforce -

• Category positioning
• Founder roles and expertise
• Product language
• “Why now” narratives

This applies to funding announcements, product launches, major hires, and strategic partnerships.

Think of press releases as AI-readable narrative anchors, not just media tools.

3. LinkedIn Is a Primary AEO Surface

For B2B and enterprise startups especially, LinkedIn has become one of the most influential training grounds for AI systems.

What’s working best right now isn’t just posting; it’s commenting.

Long, thoughtful comments from founders and executives on:

• Prospect posts
• Industry conversations
• Customer updates
• Relevant news

These comments create public, contextual expertise signals that AI models can absorb.

We’ve seen this work firsthand, where consistent executive engagement is driving both visibility and credibility.

Action for founders: Commit to 10-15 high-quality LinkedIn comments per week. Not promotional. Not salesy. Just smart, human insight.

4. Build an FAQ Page for Machines, Not Just Humans

One of the highest-ROI moves in AEO/GEO is also one of the simplest.

Add a robust FAQ page to your website, and write it the way an LLM would ask questions.

Examples:

• What does [Company] do?
• Who is [Company] for?
• How is [Company] different from competitors?
• Is [Company] an AI company or a SaaS company?
• What problem does [Company] solve?

Then answer those questions clearly, directly, and consistently with your press releases and About page.

This gives AI models clean inputs to pull from when generating answers about your company.

Action for startups: Treat your FAQ as a canonical source of truth. Review and update it quarterly as your positioning evolves.

5. Stop Chasing Hacks. Start Flooding the System With Signal.

There is no silver bullet for AEO or GEO right now.

What works is:

• Clear language
• Repetition
• Consistency
• Presence across credible surfaces

Startups that win are not gaming the system. They’re making it easy for machines — and humans — to understand exactly who they are.

The shift to internalize: AEO/GEO is not about optimization tricks. It’s about narrative saturation.

The BAM Take

We don’t believe in promising founders control over AI outputs. No one has that.

What we do believe in is helping startups become the most legible, consistent, and credible source of truth in their category.

Right now, that’s the edge.

And in a world where AI is increasingly the first point of discovery, clarity beats everything else.