Audience collects $10M Series A to expand cadre of handwriting robots

By Riley Kaminer

When was the last time you sent or received a handwritten note? In an age of digital-first communications, there’s just something special about communicating by snail mail. And seeing the flow of your correspondent’s pen on paper creates a physical connection that you don’t get over SMS.

Miami-based Audience is enabling businesses to take advantage of the advantages of handwriting at scale. They have developed a platform that sends personalized messages to generate leads and boost marketing ROI. Audience has a series of handwriting robots (yes, you read that correctly) that put your words on paper – manually, with an automated twist.

Today, Audience announced that they have raised a $10 million Series A round led by Austin-based investor Next Coast Ventures. With this growth capital, Audience hopes to expand its personal direct mail marketing services. This includes integrating CRM functionalities and upgrading their user platform, on top of expanding its fleet of handwriting robots. Including this fundraise, Audience has raised $12.8 million since 2019, when the company was founded.

“Audience combines robotic handwritten notes with a powerful targeting database and digital-marketing follow-up,” Audience founder and CEO Jesse Stein said in a statement.

“This unique combination helps companies close more deals, form deeper bonds with prospects and customers, and remove friction from the follow-up process,” he continued. Stein, who has been based in Miami for over a decade, is a serial entrepreneur with a particular focus on digital marketing.

The idea is that using the Audience platform will help businesses stand out in a highly competitive marketing environment. The startup claims that their notes have a 90% read rate and six times the response rate of normal direct mail – all while boosting marketing ROI by up to 380%.

Audience works with their clients along the whole sales funnel – from helping with lead generation and providing text templates to suggesting graphics and offering QR labels with real-time tracking. After sending a physical card, Audience enables users to follow up with what they call a “digital marketing handshake,” by sending personalized emails and LinkedIn connections.

“Audience represents the evolution of the digital marketing landscape toward hyper-personalized customer engagement, and we couldn’t be happier to partner with them,” commented Thomas Ball, co-founder and managing partner of Next Coast Ventures. “The combination of an incredible team, robotic hardware and easy-to-use software made the investment in Audience incredibly attractive.”

The robots Audience uses hold real pens and mimic the nuances of the human hand. They even add slight variations to each character, mimicking the human touch. Sales professionals in highly competitive industries such as real estate and insurance have found success using Audience’s platform.

One of those professionals is realtor Jacqueline Marks from Douglas Elliman’s Palm Beach office. She asserted that Audience has “completely transformed” her business. “I love the attention to detail each campaign specifies, which allows me to build and cultivate my network, find pocket listings and establish myself as an expert agent along the coast of South Florida.”

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Riley Kaminer

I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.