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    Accelerated Strategy

    We Raised $15M and Our Competitors Are Already in ChatGPT. How Do We Catch Up?

    Yuval Halevi · January 2026 · 8 min read

    You just closed a significant round. You have budget. You have momentum. And then you asked ChatGPT about your category and realized your competitors have been building AI visibility while you were focused on the raise.

    This is a common pattern. Fundraising is all-consuming. Marketing takes a backseat. Meanwhile, competitors keep shipping. The gap grows.

    Good news: $15M buys a lot of catch-up speed. Here's exactly how to deploy it.

    TL;DR

    • You can close a 6-12 month gap in 3-6 months with aggressive execution and budget
    • Speed comes from parallel execution, not sequential. Run everything at once.
    • Budget $15-30K/month for accelerated catch-up (higher than normal GEO investment)
    • Quick platforms first (Perplexity, AI Overviews), then ChatGPT foundation

    Assess the Gap

    Before you can catch up, you need to know how far behind you are. Use this competitive gap calculator:

    Competitive Gap Calculator
    Compare your position vs competitors across platforms
    Your Visibility (out of 10)
    Perplexity2/10
    AI Overview1/10
    ChatGPT1/10
    Competitor Visibility (out of 10)
    Perplexity8/10
    AI Overview7/10
    ChatGPT8/10
    Your Score
    4/30
    vs
    Competitor
    23/30
    Critical Gap
    Estimated catch-up: 6+ months

    The Accelerated Catch-Up Playbook

    Normal GEO takes 6-12 months. With budget and aggressive execution, you can compress that to 3-6 months. Here's how:

    Standard vs Accelerated Timeline
    Entity Consistency2-4 weeks1 weekDedicated resource
    Schema + Technical2-3 weeks3-5 daysPriority dev sprint
    First PR Placements6-8 weeks3-4 weeksMultiple PR firms
    Authority Signal Stack6-12 months3-6 monthsAll tracks parallel
    ChatGPT Improvements4-6 months3-4 monthsTraining-based lag

    The 90-Day Blitz Plan

    Here's what an aggressive catch-up looks like when budget isn't the constraint:

    The Flanking Strategy

    While you're catching up on broad category queries, win specific niches immediately. Your competitors might dominate "best SIEM" but you can own "best SIEM for fintech" in weeks.

    Niche Flanking Examples
    Broad Query (Hard to Win)
    • • "Best CRM software"
    • • "Best project management tool"
    • • "Best SIEM solution"
    Niche Query (Win Faster)
    • • "Best CRM for real estate teams"
    • • "Best PM tool for agencies"
    • • "Best SIEM for fintech compliance"

    Expected Results Timeline

    Here's what you should expect with aggressive execution:

    30
    days
    Foundation Complete
    Entity consistency fixed, schema live, llms.txt deployed, baseline documented, PR campaign launched, review program started.
    60
    days
    First Wins Appearing
    Perplexity citations for niche queries, AI Overview appearances starting, first PR placements live, 20+ new reviews.
    90
    days
    Gap Significantly Closed
    50%+ Perplexity citation rate, dominating niche queries, appearing in AI Overviews for key terms, ChatGPT foundation built.
    180
    days
    ChatGPT Improvements
    ChatGPT mentions increasing, competing for category recommendations, authority signals at parity or ahead of competitors.
    Reality check

    ChatGPT has the longest feedback loop (training-based, not real-time). You'll see Perplexity and AI Overview wins months before ChatGPT catches up. Plan for this when communicating to stakeholders.

    The Bottom Line

    You have the resources to catch up fast. $15M in funding means budget isn't the constraint. Speed of execution is.

    Money compresses timelines, not eliminates them. You can turn 12 months into 6 months. You can't turn it into 30 days.

    Run parallel, not sequential. Foundation, content, PR, and link building should all happen simultaneously. That's what budget enables.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Raised $15M and Need to Catch Up Fast?

    We've helped funded companies close competitive gaps in AI visibility. Get a free catch-up strategy session.

    Get Your Catch-Up Plan →
    Yuval Halevi

    Yuval Halevi

    Helping SaaS companies and developer tools get cited in AI answers since before it was called "GEO." 10+ years in B2B SEO, 50+ cybersecurity and SaaS tools clients.