Perplexity partners with Seattle startup Firmly to boost shopping features within AI search app

Perplexity is getting some help from a small Seattle startup to enhance e-commerce features within its popular AI search app.

The company announced Thursday that it is working with Firmly.ai to help businesses sell products within Perplexity’s platform.

Firmly works with companies to enable e-commerce transactions directly in content, messaging apps, digital ads, livestreams, and more. It bills its software as a way to let consumers “buy at the point of inspiration.”

The Seattle startup has flown under the radar, launching five years ago by a trio of former Samsung execs. It has raised $5.2 million to date and has about 30 employees.

Firmly CEO Kumar Senthil previously spent eight years at Microsoft and was director of product management at Groupon before joining Samsung as global head of products in e-commerce.

Senthil told Fortune that the rise of TikTok has created demand for one-click shopping, or “buy-anywhere” experiences.

Perplexity started rolling out shopping tools in November. Brands that use Perplexity to sell through the Firmly partnership will receive all revenue from each purchase, Fortune reported.

The OpenAI rival is reportedly looking to raise another funding round at a $18 billion valuation. It has just under $100 million in annual recurring revenue, according to CNBC.

Perplexity in December acquired Carbon, a Seattle startup that helps companies connect external data sources to their large language models.

Senthil co-founded Firmly with former Samsung and PayPal exec Damien Balsan, and Murali Krishnamurthy, a former chief technical architect at Samsung.

Firmly’s investors include FJ Labs, BGV, Ark Invest, Rapid Ventures, Hawke Media ventures, Mu Ventures, Willow-Tree Ventures, French founders among others