Commercially deployed since 2021 · Best AdTech Startup 2026 — M&A Tech Connect

About Intentful:
Enabling Interactive Brands

We work at the intersection of AI and brand communication. Intentful is a technology company that enables enterprise B2C brands and destination organizations to operate as interactive, intelligent entities in the age of AI. We deliver this through proprietary products and hands-on advisory.

Interactive Ad Client: Visit Visalia

What you're seeing

A standard display ad unit — but the consumer is having a real conversation with the brand. AI responds in real time, on-brand, within the ad space.

Who we are
Technology company at the intersection of AI and brand communication.
Core technology
Infrastructure to make brands interactive, intelligent entities — across ads, commerce, and content.
Beyond the product
Hands-on advisory for organizations navigating AI adoption — from readiness to upskilling.
Customers
Enterprise B2C brands & Tourism Boards
Geography
Global
Commercially active
Since 2021
Recognition
Best AdTech Startup 2026
Patent
Generative Response Ads — global patent pending
What Makes a Brand Interactive

Three things, working together.

Brand equity & AI representation

How the brand is interpreted and represented by AI across environments. If any AI system mentions a brand, does that mention reflect the brand's intended positioning?

Real-time engagement

How customers receive instant, governed, on-brand responses in the moment of their intent — across touchpoints. Think ads that respond in real time within ad spaces on behalf of the brand.

Continuous brand intelligence

How real customer interactions turn into ongoing brand insight and learning. A living intelligence shaped by the organization, with governance over how it engages and how it's represented.

People

The people behind Intentful.

Co-Founders
MP
Marina Petrova
CEO & Co-Founder
Technology strategist with 30 years across technology and marketing communications, including Publicis and WPP. Organizations across 50+ countries. Speaker at WFA, Oxford, Singularity University, Columbia, and Mobile World Congress. Led creation of patent-pending Generative Response Ads and Interactive Brand Infrastructure.
BA
Bruce Amick
COO & Co-Founder
Career spanning media, technology, and finance. Named the company "Intentful" years before the market focused on intent-driven AI. Prior leadership at Broadway.com, The Shubert Organization, and BBVA — scaling platforms and managing complex operational ecosystems.
AS
Alex Scherban
CTO & Co-Founder
30+ years in software development. Built solutions for GM, HP, Disney, Coca-Cola, Air France-KLM, Unilever, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Architect of the Intentful Knowledge Engine powering all products.
Leadership
SM
Stefan Merkl
DMO & Tourism Industry Advisor
20 years working with DMOs, attractions, and sightseeing companies across U.S. and international markets. First point of contact for destinations exploring Intentful. MBA. Originally from Germany, based in Sonoma County.
WK
Wanda Kalbach
EVP, Operations & Delivery
Leads client delivery and operational infrastructure. Ensures brand content systems are deployed accurately and on schedule across all engagements.
Intentional and lean. Strategic thinkers, developers, and operators who use AI to eliminate unnecessary complexity. Proudly global — team members across the United States, Europe, and Ukraine.
Built With AI

We don't just build AI products.
We run on AI.

Intentful's proprietary technology is model-agnostic. Our patent-pending infrastructure plugs into any foundation model — and our team uses AI throughout everything we do.

Patent-pending, model-agnostic technology

Intentful's patent-pending infrastructure is a proprietary technology layer — not a wrapper around someone else's AI. It integrates with any foundation model — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini — and can switch or combine them based on performance, cost, or client needs. No lock-in.

AI agents unlock value faster

For example, an AI agent assists in creating Intentful's Generative Response Ads — getting brands to the value that interactivity brings faster, without production bottlenecks or compromising brand governance.

AI-augmented engineering

Our development team ships more innovation and uncovers new opportunities thanks to advances in AI. This website, for example, was built entirely by Claude — Anthropic's AI — working alongside our team.

Commercial Deployments

In-market since 2021.

Dozens of live deployments across early adopters in travel and tourism, performing arts, telecommunications, and consumer brands.

Visit Florida Keys Interactive Ad
"We made a deliberate decision to be early and to understand how AI is changing the way travelers discover destinations, and to be part of shaping that experience rather than reacting to it."
— Kara Franker, CEO, Visit Florida Keys & Key West
Visit Visalia Interactive Ad

A 300×250 display unit where consumers ask questions and the destination answers live — within the ad space.

Tourism & destinations — early adopters

Tourism and destination brands were among the first to adopt Intentful's technology — organizations with high visitor intent, complex offerings, and a need for real-time, governed brand interaction. They proved the model.

DMO client logos

Deployments have since expanded into performing arts and consumer brands. Additional enterprise partners not listed due to contractual terms.

Featured & Recognized

Advancing the practical use of AI in marketing communications.

Intentful regularly contributes to executive forums, industry working sessions, and academic programs focused on moving AI from experimentation to operational reality.

🎓
Oxford University
Oxford, UK
🌍
WFA
World Federation of Advertisers
🚀
Singularity University
Silicon Valley, CA
🏛️
Columbia University
Startup Lab · New York, NY
📡
MWC
Mobile World Congress · Barcelona
🛒
ProcureCon
Marketing Procurement Leaders
✈️
eTourism Summit
Digital Travel Leaders
🌐
World Travel Market
London, UK
📱
MMA London
Mobile Marketing Association
📣
EACA
European Association of Communication Agencies
🎯
CMO Summit
Executive Marketing Leaders
And more
Ongoing

We're always open
to the conversation.

Whether you're a brand, a destination, an agency, a publisher, or press — reach out.

Intentful is a technology company that enables enterprise B2C brands and destination organizations to operate as interactive, intelligent entities in the age of AI. Founded in 2021, the company provides the infrastructure brands need to govern real-time engagement across touchpoints, shape how AI interprets and represents the brand, and turn customer interactions into continuous brand intelligence. Intentful's patent-pending Generative Response Ads turn standard ad units into real-time brand conversations.

Products include Generative Response Ads, As Seen by AI, Content Space, AI Readability Report, Local Business AI Discoverability, and Interactive Brand Enablement. Advisory programs include AI Readiness Advisory, AI Immersion Workshop, AI 101: Travel & Tourism, and AI Today Upskilling. Clients include Travel Oregon, Visit Sacramento, Broadway Inbound, Rakuten Viber, HotelPlanner, and destination organizations across the United States. Named Best AdTech Startup at M&A Tech Connect 2026.