Perplexity Raises Series A and Launches iOS App, Doubling Down on Mobile
In April 2023, Perplexity AI announced it had raised $25.6 million in a Series A round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), while simultaneously releasing its first iOS app. Coming about four months after launch, this marked the milestone where the previously web-only service began its full push into mobile.
Details
- Funding: Led by NEA’s Peter Sonsini, with existing investors Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, and Bob Muglia joined by new participants including former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Gmail creator Paul Buchheit, and Databricks Ventures
- New features in the iOS app: Added app-specific features such as personalization through user sign-in, persistent search history, and the ability to share answers on social media
- Usage patterns: At the time, roughly half of Perplexity’s users were already accessing it via mobile web, making a dedicated app a natural next step
- Growth rate: Monthly active users had reached roughly 2 million just four months after launch
What happened next
The iOS app became a foothold for capturing a mobile-first user base, later followed by an Android version and a Chrome extension. The funds secured in the Series A round became the capital behind later Pro features and model-selection functionality, feeding into the rapid fundraising race (Series B and C) that followed in 2024 and beyond.