Celebrating OfferFit’s Journey: A Bold Vision Realized

At Menlo Ventures, we have the privilege of working with some of the most ambitious founders in technology—those who don’t just build companies but create entirely new categories. In the fast-paced world of AI startups, breakout companies can create tremendous value with breathtaking speed. Case in point: OfferFit. Today, we celebrate their planned acquisition by Braze, a testament to the bold vision of its founders and the undeniable impact of an emerging layer in the marketing tech stack: AI decisioning.

A Short but Meaningful Partnership and the Power of the Right Connection

Our time working with OfferFit was brief but deeply rewarding. When we invested in mid-2023, the AI wave was just beginning to take shape, and OfferFit was in the early stages of commercializing its revolutionary approach to automated experimentation. Even then, we knew we were backing a special team—one with a unique angle on the market and the potential to redefine how marketers optimize customer engagement and reshape marketing technology.

One of the most rewarding aspects of venture investing is when our deep domain expertise, AI focus, and network come together to create opportunities. I had the pleasure of introducing OfferFit’s founders to the product leadership at Braze, and it’s gratifying to see how that connection helped shape this outcome. Braze recognized what we saw in OfferFit from the beginning: a company that wasn’t just building a product but transforming how brands engage with their customers.

We invest more than capital—we invest time, energy, and network. And when the right conversations click, great things happen. This acquisition is a testament to that philosophy, and we’re big fans of both teams. Watching this partnership come to life has been enormously gratifying.

A Strategic Win for Braze

What makes this story so remarkable is that OfferFit didn’t just build an impressive product—they created a new category. Doing this takes more than vision—it requires conviction, courage, and a willingness to rewrite the rules.

While others were still exploring possibilities, OfferFit had already commercialized a powerful AI decisioning platform that helped global brands optimize lifecycle marketing with measurable results. They were early to combine agentic AI and sophisticated ML in a way that delivered on the long-promised dream of putting lifecycle marketing on “autopilot.”

The company’s reinforcement learning-driven approach to experimentation allowed marketers to move beyond traditional A/B testing and embrace true 1:1 personalization at scale. We were just getting started in defining this space, and OfferFit was the clear leader—which is precisely why Braze took notice.

This wasn’t just another talent acquisition—it was a strategic bet on category-defining technology. Braze recognized that value quickly, and they moved decisively. In a space where many incumbents are still searching for their AI strategy, Braze just raised the bar.

While we are thrilled for the founders and their success, we can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness that OfferFit won’t continue on its independent path. Category creation is never easy, but as we’ve seen with past investments in Uber, Roku, Chime, and Carta, the hardest part is the early conviction. Over time, the world begins to see things the way you do, and the category becomes inevitable. OfferFit was well on its way to making that happen.

A Signal in the AI M&A Landscape

This acquisition also marks a significant moment in the broader AI M&A landscape. Unlike many recent AI deals that were primarily acqui-hires focused on talent, this was a strategic acquisition centered on technology and market positioning. Braze’s move to bring OfferFit into its ecosystem signals a shift—one where incumbents and platform companies are realizing that AI-driven automation isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a competitive necessity.

We believe this is just the beginning. With the recent announcement of Moveworks’ acquisition by ServiceNow, we expect to see a wave of AI M&A as companies seek to integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities to supercharge their next phase of growth.

A Bright Future Ahead

For founders building in AI today, this deal offers more than inspiration—it offers a roadmap. While building independent companies will always be core to the venture model, strategic exits like this one provide powerful optionality.

To George, Victor, and the entire OfferFit team—congratulations on this incredible milestone. You took a bold risk to define a new category, and in doing so, you built something so compelling that a market leader saw the value in making it part of their future. While we would have loved to continue this journey together, we know that your technology and your vision will now have the opportunity to scale even faster within Braze.

At Menlo Ventures we’ve backed many AI pioneers including Anthropic, Sana, Typeface, Unstructured, Neon, Eve, Eleos, and Observe AI. We remain committed to backing founders who see the world differently and have the courage to build something entirely new. OfferFit’s story is a reminder of why we do what we do, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

And to the entrepreneurs out there building AI-native platforms to reinvent the enterprise—know that we’re more excited than ever to meet you.