Freddie McKenzie & Henry Collinson
Manifest, an AI-powered operational intelligence platform for agencies, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding.
The platform automatically tracks how work moves across teams, tools and AI systems in real time, giving agency leaders visibility into where work originates, how it flows through a business, and what it costs to deliver.
The round was led by Brand Fund by Previously Unavailable, with participation from Antler, Icehouse Ventures, Techstars, and Huljich & Bhatnagar Family Offices.
Industry investors include Henry Innis at Mutinex, Mark Coad at ex-IPG Mediabrands CEO, Jamie Mackay at BWM Dentsu, Jonathan Isaacs at Taboo Group, James Hutchinson at Sling & Stone, Jordan Taylor-Bartels at Prophet and Connon Bray at TRA/Tracksuit/Ideally.
The company launched this week with an initial cohort of agencies across Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, with plans for global expansion underway and customer announcements to follow.
Manifest believes that the traditional model of tracking billable hours no longer reflects how agency work is produced, particularly as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day operations.
"Agencies are operating on a model that no longer reflects how work happens," said Freddie McKenzie, CEO and co-founder at Manifest.
"As agencies adopt AI, the gap between how work actually happens and how it's measured is widening. You can't price or optimise for outcomes if you're still only measuring self-reported hours."
The platform is designed to replace manual time inputs with real-time operational data, with the aim of helping agencies shift from input-based billing toward value-based pricing models.
"Manifest solves a massive problem for services businesses: how do you track, value and charge for work in an AI-enabled world,” said Simon Pound, co-CEO at Previously Unavailable and GP of Brand Fund.
“We love how the team is building, their customer-centricity, and the scale of the problem they're tackling.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.