Dexa, a new platform founded by Riley Tomasek, is set to transform how listeners engage with podcasts. By leveraging artificial intelligence, Dexa offers a powerful search engine that allows users to find specific information within podcasts, making it easier to recall details, discover new insights and access content more efficiently.
The Problem Dexa Solves
For avid podcast listeners, recalling specific tidbits of information can be a frustrating experience. Often, finding an answer requires manually searching through podcast transcripts, a time-consuming process. Dexa addresses this by allowing users to ask natural language questions, such as "What's the best way to get more sleep?" or "What does Mark Zuckerberg think about Threads?"
How Dexa Works
The platform enables users to query individual podcasts or its entire database, which currently includes over 120 podcasts with more being added. Search results deliver AI-generated summaries of answers, complete with pointers to the specific podcasts and timestamped links where the topic was discussed. Users can also narrow their searches by mentioning a specific podcast.
Dexa's technology is built on various indexing techniques combined with a knowledge graph that maps people, episodes and shows. This sophisticated approach allows for accurate and relevant search results, even including instances where podcast hosts discuss comments made by others on different platforms.
Genesis and Funding
Dexa was founded in 2023 by Riley Tomasek, who previously co-founded Flight, an app for capturing and collaborating on notes and ideas, which was acquired by Figma in 2021. Tomasek was inspired to create Dexa after struggling to find a specific dosage recommendation from the Huberman Lab podcast.
The company has successfully raised $6 million in seed funding, led by Abstract Ventures and The General Partnership, with participation from Maple VC and Guillermo Rauch. Dexa currently has a small team of three but plans to expand its engineering staff.
Future Plans and Partnerships
Dexa is launching a redesigned website and announcing a significant partnership with Huberman Labs, which will see Dexa's search functionality integrated directly into the podcast's website. This integration will feature a specialized AI model, akin to a dedicated GPT. The new design will also support follow-up questions and allow users to watch linked conversations without leaving the Dexa interface.
Looking ahead, Dexa plans to develop a mobile app to drive podcast consumption through short clips and introduce account creation for saving searches. While currently not generating revenue, the company is considering subscription and advertising models for future monetization.
