Adding someone to your professional network is as easy as clicking a button. But how many of those people get lost in the abyss of LinkedIn connections or in endless feeds of content?
Goodword, a new professional networking startup, says it can help people maintain those relationships using AI.
“We’re more digitally connected than ever before, but we still have the same constraints of the human brain,” Goodword CEO Caroline Dell told Business Insider.
Goodword is leveraging AI to build tools that encourage closer connections, including a search function, reminders for follow-up conversations, and a method of making introductions. The startup describes its product as a “networking copilot” and has an AI assistant that users can chat with to keep track of meetings and people they meet. The platform is built using large language models from OpenAI, chief product and technology officer Chris Fischer said.
Goodword isn’t necessarily looking to take on LinkedIn head-on as the next giant professional network. LinkedIn, in Fischer’s words, is the “world’s most important professional stage” and a “content machine,” but Goodword aims to solve a different problem.
“We’re not trying to build a networking app, per se, that’s helping you network more and more,” he said. “We’re building something that allows you to spend time with the right people and build deeper relationships.”
Dell, who was an early employee at Chief, an executive networking organization for women, teamed up with Fischer, who has worked at several startups, in 2024. In October, the startup released the beta version of its product and announced it raised a $4 million seed investment round led by Human Ventures, with participation from January Ventures, Bain’s Future Back Ventures, and angels like Andrew Yeung and Chief’s cofounders.
Goodword’s recent funding will be used to develop its product, add more data integrations, cover the costs of large-language models, and expand its research and development team. The startup is based in New York and has a team of five full-time staffers and three contractors.
The product costs about $200 for an annual subscription, and offers a free trial. Fischer said the startup plans to introduce a monthly membership, but wants its early users to commit to a year, as the team works closely with them on developing the product.
Goodword’s tech integrates users’ LinkedIn networks, calendars, and email, and plans to add integrations for other tools people use regularly, like note-taking apps.
While Goodword automates some of the networking steps for its users, Fischer emphasized that Goodword is not an AI agent tool that replaces the networking experience.
“One of our differentiators is actually keeping the human at the center,” Dell said.
Professional networking has been a hot category, and new startups are attempting to disrupt the status quo with the help of AI. Other startups, including Boardy, an AI agent that makes introductions, and Gigi, an AI-powered professional networking platform, have raised millions from investors.
Read the pitch deck Goodword used to raise its $4 million seed investment:
Note: Some slides and details of the deck have been either updated or redacted by Goodword in order to share the document publicly.
Goodword pitches itself as a platform that goes ‘beyond networking’
The deck starts by outlining a problem in professional networking
“Networking today is doomed to fail due to the constraints of the human brain,” the slide reads. The slide includes a cartoon and cites inspiration by anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who coined the “Dunbar’s number” theory, which poses a limit to the number of relationships any person can have.
Goodword’s deck dives into data points
“Now is the time to redesign networking for the AI era,” the slide reads.
It ties together four categories: technology, markets, culture, and the future of work.
Here are the stats the slide includes:
- 80%: Data generated today is unstructured, LLMs can now unlock relationship data unlike ever before
- 1: Entrenched incumbent with a pay-for-connections and advertisement revenue model
- 136M: Professionals suffering from the “loneliness epidemic,” creating demand for real connections
- 79%: GenZer’s believe strong relationships are a key factor in wellbeing, driving a cultural shift towards authenticity
Then the startup maps out the market of social apps
“25 years of innovation in other relationship-based categories has left the professional networks ripe for innovation,” the slide reads.
It lists companies in social, dating, and professional networking on a timeline — from Facebook to TikTok to Hinge. In the professional category, it only lists LinkedIn and labels a “graveyard of ‘personal CRMs'” for the last decade.
Goodword outlines the opportunity for the space
“$200B+ global opportunity, starting with 171M users with more digital ‘connections’ than they can manage,” the slide says.
It also identifies the types of potential users Goodwood would attract.
Here’s what else the slide says:
Connectors — 2k+ connections: Natural network helpers. Often serve as a network node, believing in “karma” or “give to get.”
Cultivators — 1k+ connections: Know they need to pay into the system to achieve success. Have a large network, but need prompting to effectively leverage it.
Opportunists — 500+ connections: Put pressure on their network when in acute need. See the value of connections, but barriers today are too high.
While it’s an AI startup, Goodword emphasizes ‘human relationships’
“We’re in a time when professionals are more connected digitally yet feel a growing gap in human connection,” the slide says. “Goodword addresses a paradox of the AI era — technology that strengthens human relationships.”
Next, the deck introduces the cofounders
“30+ years of operating experience plus deep network expertise makes us the right duo to uniquely solve the problem,” the slide says.
Here’s what the slide says:
Caroline Dell, CEO
“Connector,” 4K+ Connections
- About me: Top-tier startup operator with deep network expertise. Scaled Chief to 20K members and $120M+ in ARR in four years.
- Superpowers: Ambitious, operational horsepower, recruiting top talent, high velocity, navigating chaos, judgment.
- Earned Secret: A high willingness to pay for a powerful network is thwarted by the pain and friction of activating it.
Chris Fischer, CPTO
“Connector,” 3K+ Connections
- About me: Serial (8x) startup builder of incredible technology products and world class teams (0>1 through IPO).
- Superpowers: Competitor, work ethic and grit, building high output teams, systems design, complex data infrastructure.
- Earned Secret: The most powerful technology is the one that allows customers to do something they couldn’t do before.
Then it showcases how the product works
“Goodword integrates seamlessly across all the platforms and tools used for networking and intelligently organizes your relationships, surfaces the right connections, and helps you act on them at the right time,” the slide says.
The deck wraps up with a quote from an anthropologist
The slide includes a quote attributed to Dunbar.
As well as a link to sign up for early access
The deck included an extra slide that highlights key features
“A networking copilot that helps professionals harness the power of their relationships,” the slide says.
Here’s what the slide says:
- Seamless Integration: Connects across contacts, calendar, notes, and social platforms to unify your network.
- Relationship Intelligence: Automatically organizes contacts by context, get timely reminders and personalized recommendations aligned to your professional goals.
- AI-Powered Copilot: Chat-based assistant to capture meeting details or serendipitous connections in real time.
- Smart Search: Draws from your interactions and context to help you find the right person instantly.
- Curated Introductions: Goodword’s team facilitates purposeful connections that help you grow your network — and your impact — as a connector.
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