# Lantern refocuses on AI GEO and LLM result optimization > Source: > Published: 2026-07-01 11:27:54+00:00 Lantern, an e-commerce startup founded in 2024 by Andrew Lissimore (previously of Headphones.com), has refocused on generative engine optimization (GEO) - tooling that helps brands improve visibility inside AI-powered query results from platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Business Insider reports Lantern raised **$3.1 million** in seed funding in 2025 led by **Salesforce Ventures**, has hired ex-Amazon engineers, trained an internal model to predict product visibility in generative answers, and sells tools starting at **$99 a month** for SMBs with enterprise pricing customized. Business Insider reports Lantern is raising additional capital to expand technical talent and distribution. For practitioners building discovery pipelines, the pivot signals that product metadata and retrieval signals for LLM-mediated recommendations require distinct engineering from classic SEO - the key open question is whether GEO vendors can produce auditable, replicable evidence of measurable uplift across heterogeneous model endpoints.