Gudea leverages AI to help organizations prevent social media crises before they erupt
Every day, conversations unfold across social media and websites around the world. A seemingly insignificant post—whether it involves AI-generated misinformation, hate speech, or a damaging rumor—can quickly snowball into a much larger public controversy. Gudea, a company that tracks how stories and rumors spread online that describes itself as the “storm tracker for the internet,” […]
Key points
- Gudea uses AI to track how stories and rumors spread across over 500 websites and platforms.
- The company pitched on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 on Wednesday.
- Gudea has raised $7 million in seed funding, bringing total funding to about $15 million.
Gudea, a company that describes itself as the "storm tracker for the internet," is using AI to help organizations spot online trouble before it becomes a crisis. The company tracks how stories and rumors spread across more than 500 mainstream and fringe websites and platforms, including X, Reddit, and TikTok.
Gudea pitched its mission on Wednesday afternoon on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The company argues that organizations need a more proactive approach to protecting their reputations.
How Gudea differs from social listening
Unlike traditional social listening platforms that only track metrics such as mentions, hashtags, and impressions, Gudea aims to show who is driving a conversation, how information is moving, how quickly a story is gaining traction, and where it could be headed. Its AI analyzes behavior, relationships, and the pathways through which information travels.
Instead of simply telling a company that mentions are rising, Gudea provides context behind that growth so decision-makers can determine how and whether to respond.
These big industries don’t understand that there are things they can do proactively to defend their reputation and their brand
— Keith Presley
Founders and funding
Gudea was founded in 2023 by Keith Presley, Jonathan Sperber, and James Thomin. Presley, the CEO, has more than 15 years of experience in political campaigns and defense, including building infrastructure for Andrew Yang's presidential campaign. Sperber, chief strategy officer, has a background in disinformation research. Thomin, the CTO, holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and has spent roughly two decades in AI and machine learning.
The team began with the George Washington Initiative, a nonprofit established after the 2020 election that adapted intelligence-community strategies used overseas against groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS for domestic information campaigns. Three years after founding, Gudea has nearly 40 clients, including a Fortune 50 telecommunications company, a Fortune 50 retailer, an AI lab, a band, public relations and crisis communications agencies, and government agencies. Last week, Gudea announced $7 million in seed funding co-led by Mudita Venture Partners and Silicon Road Ventures, bringing total funding to approximately $15 million.
