Exa vs Perplexity AI
Side-by-side equity comparison for employees weighing offers at Exa or Perplexity AI. Valuations, funding history, headcount growth, and secondary-market context.
| Exa | Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest valuation | Not publicly disclosed | $5B |
| Latest round | Series A | Series B |
| Round date | — | — |
| Total raised | $25M | $500M |
| Founded | 2022 | 2022 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Employees | 129 | 1,482 |
| Employee YoY growth | +87% | -4% |
| Primary industry | Artificial Intelligence | Artificial Intelligence |
| Secondary-market price | — | — |
| Base-case equity multiple | — | 2x |
| Upside equity multiple | — | 2x |
| Lead investors | Lightspeed Venture Partners, Y Combinator | NEA, IVP |
| Status | private | private |
Overview
AI-native search engine designed for use by AI systems and developers, providing semantically relevant web search results via API.
Perplexity AI builds an AI-powered search engine that provides cited, conversational answers to user queries in real time.
Why we compare these
Perplexity AI appears on Sara's List 2024; Exa is a direct competitor we track alongside it.
If you're evaluating offers at either one, the equity math depends on more than the headline valuation — dilution, strike price, time to liquidity, and concentration risk all matter. Use our equity compensation calculator and exit calculator to model your own numbers.