Return Signals
AI customer support that proactively engages high-value users
Winter 2026ActiveB2BGenerative AICustomer SuccessCustomer SupportSMSSan Francisco, CA, USA
AI customer support that proactively engages high-value users. By using LLM’s to engage customers in an authentic way before they reach out to customer support we minimize support tickets, build relationships and deliver upsells.
Because we are helpful and human-like, our SMS outbound has 4-10x higher response rate than Emotive/Attentive/Postscript or any other product on the market.
Verdict
Medium Signal
Market Opportunity
The ICP is DTC/e-commerce brands on Shopify, a large and well-understood market. Post-purchase SMS engagement is a real problem space with proven willingness to pay (Attentive raised $910M, Klaviyo IPO'd). However, this is a narrow wedge within a crowded marketing automation space, and the TAM is constrained by the specific post-delivery trigger use case unless they expand significantly.
High Signal
Founder Signal
Ilya is a 2x founder with a Physics PhD and real AI product experience — built AI patient intake at Kaiser Permanente and a medical LLM product at Curai Health before ChatGPT existed, which is a strong signal of technical depth. Alejandro claims 0-to-1 experience at two startups, one acquired and one at $40M ARR, which if accurate is a serious operator signal. LinkedIn data is unavailable so these claims can't be independently verified, but the YC bio specificity (named companies, outcomes) lends credibility.
Low Signal
Competition
Direct competitors include Attentive, Klaviyo, Postscript, Omnisend, and Emotive — all well-funded, established players with large customer bases and brand recognition. The differentiation claim (61% vs 4.5-14.7% engagement) is meaningful if it holds, but the mechanism (conversational AI vs broadcast SMS) is replicable. Gorgias, already an integration partner, could build this natively. The moat is thin and incumbents have distribution advantages.
Medium Signal
Product
The product has a live demo UI showing real dashboard features (analytics, conversation management, escalation flows), Shopify/Gorgias integrations, and a compelling 61% response rate claim vs 4.5-14.7% for Attentive/Postscript. However, there are no named customer logos, no revenue figures, and no third-party testimonials — the metrics shown appear to be from their own product UI which could be demo data. The benchmark comparisons are well-sourced but the core numbers are self-reported.
OverallB Tier
Return Signals has a credible product with genuinely differentiated engagement metrics and founders with relevant AI and operator experience. The 61% reply rate vs single-digit CTR for incumbents is the core thesis and it's compelling on paper. The real risk is that Attentive, Klaviyo, or Postscript adds conversational AI to their existing flows and immediately outcompetes on distribution — this is a feature more than a product. No named customer logos or revenue data visible, which at this stage is acceptable but limits conviction. Worth watching if they can land 10-20 paying DTC brands and show revenue retention.
Active Founders
