Whispers of Intent

Today’s featured startup is using AI to decode visitor intent — and it’s paying off.

Project Overview

Made With Intent helps online stores convert more visitors into paying customers — not by pressuring them into buying something immediately, but by better understanding who these visitors are and why they came to the site in the first place.

The platform is built on a simple truth: purchasing anything more expensive than a pack of gum is rarely an impulse decision. It’s a multi-step process — that’s why concepts like the “sales funnel” or “warm-up sequence” exist. People browse, compare, hesitate, revisit, and often leave without buying — only to return later or move on entirely. Each of these stages calls for a different kind of nudge to keep the potential customer moving forward.

Most tools used in e-commerce today ignore this nuance. They treat every visitor like someone ready to buy right now — applying the same trigger or tactic across the board. This only works for those already at the finish line. If they don’t buy immediately, the session is marked as a failure.

Made With Intent uses AI to analyze over 200 behavioral signals — from clicks to scrolling patterns — both in the current session and past visits. Based on this, it determines where a visitor is in the purchase funnel and assigns them to a dynamic segment. These segments are updated in real time as behavior shifts.

With this insight, site owners can tailor messages, promotions, and product suggestions to each segment. This personalized approach helps gently guide users toward a purchase — if not in this session, then later. According to the startup, stores using the platform see revenue grow by 9.4% within six months.

Segments are made up of behavioral patterns picked up by the AI. The platform comes with pre-built segments but also allows retailers to create custom ones. Examples include:

• The Hesitant — users who are clearly interested but stuck in decision paralysis. A timely offer or deadline can help nudge them forward.

• Just Browsing — visitors with no clear purchase intent. Showing them something unexpected or compelling might spark interest.

• Dropped Off — those who showed strong intent toward a specific product but abandoned the page. A reminder or incentive can bring them back.

These tailored messages aren’t limited to the website. Segment data can be exported for ad retargeting, so users see relevant offers even after they’ve left the site.

Additionally, segment-level insights help assess traffic quality and refine external marketing strategies — adjusting targeting, creatives, or even the channels themselves.

Getting started is simple: just add a single script to your website. From that moment, segmentation begins automatically.

Although the platform is still in beta, the startup already has paying customers and recently raised £1.5 million (around $1.88 million) in funding.

What’s the Gist?

Made With Intent is part of a new generation of startups using real-time behavioral analytics to understand and influence user decisions. Instead of treating all visitors the same, it recognizes that buying — especially online — is rarely an instant decision. By identifying what stage of the purchase journey a visitor is in, it helps online stores deliver more relevant offers, messages, or even ads, tailored to each individual’s mindset.

The system segments users based on over 200 real-time signals — from their click patterns to return visits — and continuously updates this segmentation as behavior changes. A hesitant buyer might be nudged with a limited-time offer, a casual browser shown something more eye-catching, or a previously engaged user retargeted after leaving the site.

This dynamic, intent-driven segmentation model is gaining traction across industries. Session AI (formerly ZineOne) predicts what anonymous users are likely to buy in real time. Neocom identifies when shoppers get overwhelmed while searching for products and steps in with smart assistants. ForMotiv monitors how people fill out insurance forms — down to cursor movement — to detect intent or risk. And Subsets, a Y Combinator alum, analyzes how readers interact with digital content, clustering them into engagement-based segments to boost subscriptions and retention.

These startups share one key idea: users shouldn't be treated as one-size-fits-all. Behavioral data can reveal intent more accurately than demographics or past purchases. By leveraging this, platforms like Made With Intent help companies personalize in ways that feel timely, relevant, and — most importantly — effective.

Key Takeaways

AI now enables real-time behavioral analysis at a level of granularity that was unthinkable just a few years ago. Tiny gestures — like how a user moves their mouse or hesitates while typing — can signal intent, doubt, or interest.

This unlocks highly specific microsegmentation. And with that comes the ability to respond instantly and precisely — either through the platform or by feeding the data into retargeting or automation systems.

The tech is still relatively new and underutilized — meaning there’s plenty of room to apply it elsewhere.

Two paths are emerging:

1. Clone and compete — Build alternatives to platforms like Made With Intent, applying the same principles to e-commerce or adjacent industries.

2. Adapt and expand — Identify new areas where behavioral segmentation could bring value. Where are users still being treated like a homogenous blob? How can microsegmentation help? What signals should be captured, and how can responses be tailored?

One name for this strategy might be: “Divide and Conquer.”

Company Info

Made With Intent

• Website: madewithintent.ai

• Last round: £1.5M, 02.05.2024

• Total Investment: £1.5M across 1 round