Honeyjar, a new entrant in the public-relations technology space, is presenting its artificial-intelligence suite at this week’s TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200. The company markets a cloud-based service that claims to streamline the creation and distribution of corporate announcements, media pitches and speaking-engagement outreach for organizations of any size.
The firm is led by CEO Michelle Masek and chief communications officer Nadia Jamshidi, both of whom have spent decades crafting messages for in-house teams and agencies. Masek most recently held the senior vice-president role for marketing and communications at Obvious Ventures, the venture firm founded by Ev Williams.
Honeyjar’s core automation features include drafting press releases, identifying journalists whose beats match a story, and surfacing relevant conference panels for executives. According to Jamshidi, the product’s ambition extends beyond simply securing coverage, aiming to embed strategic insight into every communication workflow.
Interest in the platform surged when the company opened a waitlist, registering 10,000 sign-ups within the first 24 hours, Masek reported. Early adopters now testing the beta version include the neighborhood network Nextdoor, robotics startup Coco Robotics, investor Bloomberg Beta and agencies Mission North and Full Picture.
Journalists have expressed concern that AI-generated pitches could increase the volume of low-value outreach they receive. Masek responded that Honeyjar only produces draft content; the user must manually trigger the send or publish action, preserving a final human decision point before any message reaches a reporter.
To address the need for professional discernment, the founders said they have "infuse[d] and encode[d] Honeyjar with our wisdom," and are expanding this effort through a broader Comms Lab initiative that trains the system on the judgment of additional PR veterans. The tool can also advise founders when they are not yet ready for media exposure.
Honeyjar’s debut at the San Francisco conference runs from October 13 to 15, with a promotional offer of half-price admission for a second pass. Observers will watch how the blend of automation and curated expertise influences the evolving landscape of corporate communications.