Podium
Funding History
| Series C · 04/2020 | $1.5B |
|---|---|
| Series D · 11/2021 | $3.0B |
About
Podium was founded in 2014 in Lehi, Utah by Eric Rea and Dennis Steele, initially focused on helping local businesses collect and manage online customer reviews. The company went through Y Combinator's accelerator program and expanded into a broader customer interaction platform spanning messaging, payments, webchat, and lead management.
- founded
- 2014
- headquarters
- Lehi, Utah
- customers
- 100,000+ local businesses
- employees
- ~1,500 (2026)
- totalFundingRaised
- $421.7M (disclosed rounds)
- lastKnownValuation
- $3.0B (November 2021 Series D)
Overview
Podium is an AI-native customer interaction platform based in Lehi, Utah, that helps local businesses — from auto dealerships and HVAC contractors to aesthetic practices and retailers — manage reviews, messaging, payments, and lead conversion in one place. Founded in 2014 by Eric Rea and Dennis Steele, the company grew out of Y Combinator and has become one of the most highly valued private software companies to come out of Utah's "Silicon Slopes" tech corridor.
Through 2026, Podium has repositioned its product around "AI Operating Systems" built on Avery, its AI Employee, launching versions purpose-built for aesthetic practices (January 2026) and home services contractors (formally announced August 2026, live since early 2026). The company says these AI Employees answer calls, texts, and web chats around the clock and cite double-digit lifts in sales conversion and after-hours bookings for customers who adopt them.
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