Startup Honeyjar Uses AI to Improve Communications Work at Companies
US startup Honeyjar is building AI tools for public relations and communications work. It will take part in the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at TechCrunch Disrupt this week.
Honeyjar, a startup building artificial intelligence tools for public relations (PR) and communications, will appear this week at TechCrunch Disrupt, the tech media outlet's conference, as part of the Startup Battlefield 200. Its aim is to make the expertise and judgment of experienced PR professionals available to everyone, including founders who have no idea where to begin.
The people behind it
Honeyjar was founded by CEO Michelle Masek and Chief Communications Officer Nadia Jamshidi. Both have spent decades in communications, working in-house and at agencies. Masek recently served as senior vice president of marketing and communications at Obvious Ventures, the venture firm led by Ev Williams. While supporting 110 portfolio companies there, she began asking whether senior-level expertise could be built into AI.
What the tool does
Honeyjar automates tasks such as writing announcements, finding the best journalists to pitch, and identifying the most promising speaking opportunities. Jamshidi says the vision is broader: bringing the whole communications workflow together, from signals and context to strategy, judgment, timing and execution.
Masek says millions of people handle communications work without the job title, including marketers, investors, authors, creators, school superintendents and sports team leaders.
The human role and early interest
The company says it is not trying to replace PR professionals. Masek argues the tool can make agencies and in-house teams more effective. Although Honeyjar can draft a pitch email or social media post in the customer's voice, the customer must press send or publish. Through an initiative called the Comms Lab, the founders are also training the product on the judgment of other PR professionals.
When the waitlist opened, it drew 10,000 signups in the first 24 hours. Beta testers include Nextdoor, Coco Robotics, Bloomberg Beta, Mission North and Full Picture.
