[Virtual] ChatGPT for Customer Acquisition: A Startup Playbook for GEO and Ads in the AI Era with Chris Sun

​People are turning to ChatGPT to research products, compare options, and decide what to buy. For startups, that raises a practical question: how do you get discovered when potential customers are looking for what you offer?
In this session, Chris Sun, Founder & CEO of BrandPal, explores how startups can approach marketing on ChatGPT—from paid advertising to earning visibility in AI-generated answers. Drawing on his experience building businesses in social commerce and AI discovery, Chris discusses what makes this channel different, where to begin, and how to set realistic expectations.
We’ll cover ChatGPT ads, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), with a focus on practical decisions: what to test, how to measure results, and when to invest more. Founders and marketers will leave with a practical framework for making ChatGPT part of their customer acquisition strategy.

Bio: Chris Sun is Founder & CEO of BrandPal, the AI operating system for social commerce and AI discovery. A repeat founder with 15+ years of experience, Chris previously built a social commerce company from the ground up to $75M in annual revenue. The company was later backed by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.

​Since founding BrandPal, his team has generated over 1.2B impressions, driven $350M in GMV, and helped clients achieve up to 10× annual revenue growth—earning the trust of public companies and premium global brands.

​Chris is a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus. He joined StartX as a founder and later became an advisor. BrandPal has been the subject of a Stanford GSB case study, and Chris has been featured by CNBC, Fortune, and Forbes. He is also an official Learning Partner of TikTok Shop Academy, where he has educated more than 7.5 million sellers worldwide.