Honeyjar Launches AI PR Tools at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Founders Michelle Masek and Nadia Jamshidi introduce Honeyjar, an AI-powered platform designed to streamline PR workflows, media lists, and strategy.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Honeyjar introduces AI tools to improve PR and communications for companies of all sizes.
- Founded by industry veterans Michelle Masek and Nadia Jamshidi with decades of experience.
- Automates announcements, reporter discovery, and speaking opportunity identification.
- Gained 10,000 signups within the first 24 hours of opening its waitlist.
Public relations has long been considered a fragmented and challenging process by entrepreneurs, journalists, and even PR professionals themselves. Addressing this friction, Honeyjar aims to leverage artificial intelligence to make top-tier communication expertise accessible to everyone, including early-stage founders who may not know where to begin.
The startup is participating in this week’s TechCrunch Disrupt as part of the Startup Battlefield 200. Founded by CEO Michelle Masek and Chief Communications Officer Nadia Jamshidi, the company benefits from their decades of in-house and agency communications experience, which includes Masek’s recent tenure as senior vice president of marketing and communications at Obvious Ventures.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Masek drew inspiration from her experiences helping 110 portfolio companies with marketing and communications strategy, noting parallels to her earlier work at an early-stage venture firm where founders constantly sought media coverage. This prompted her to explore whether senior-level expertise could be effectively scaled into an AI tool that assists users in executing proactive and skilled public relations work.
Jamshidi emphasized in follow-up communications that the vision extends beyond simple press coverage generation. The platform seeks to unify the entire communications workflow, incorporating signals, context, strategy, judgment, timing, and execution. Furthermore, the tool serves a broad horizontal market ranging from marketers and investors to creators and school superintendents who handle strategic messaging.
"Honeyjar can find reporters, build media lists, scan news and social, track coverage, and surface opportunities. Those capabilities are important, but they’re just one piece of what’s building. The bigger idea is bringing the whole communications workflow together: signals, context, strategy, judgment, timing, and execution."
Nadia Jamshidi
Integrating generative AI into corporate communications introduces significant efficiency gains, yet it also risks overwhelming media outlets with automated pitches if not managed responsibly. Emphasizing human oversight and professional judgment ensures that technology acts as a supportive amplifier rather than replacing core editorial relationships and tailored outreach.
When opening its waitlist, Honeyjar recorded 10,000 signups in the first 24 hours, attracting beta testers such as Nextdoor, Coco Robotics, Bloomberg Beta, Mission North, and Full Picture. Addressing journalist concerns regarding AI-generated pitch spam, Masek stressed that humans remain firmly in the loop, requiring users to manually approve and send out communications while training the platform on expert judgment through the Comms Lab initiative.
Source: TechCrunch
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