🛒 E-commerce Search Revolution
Daydream, an AI-powered e-commerce search engine, has raised $50M in seed funding. The company was founded by Julie Bornstein, an e-commerce veteran with experience at Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Sephora, and Stitch Fix. The funding round was co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures, with participation from Google Ventures and True Ventures. The platform aims to improve shopping search results by using generative AI, machine learning, and computer vision. Daydream plans to launch its beta version in the U.S. this fall, focusing initially on the fashion sector.
🧠 Personalized Shopping Experience
Daydream's platform allows users to search for products using natural language and image recognition. For example, users can ask for outfit suggestions for specific events or upload images of clothing with additional filters. The platform has already onboarded over 2,000 brands, including Net-A-Porter, Altuzarra, Jimmy Choo, Doen, Alo Yoga, and La DoubleJ. Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures believes Daydream offers a unique, personalized shopping experience compared to current search tools, which often feel dry and impersonal.
📈 Strong Industry Support
Julie Bornstein's extensive background in AI and e-commerce has helped Daydream attract significant support. The team includes Dan Cary, former AI researcher at Google; Matt Fisher, former data and applied science leader at Microsoft; Lisa Green, with experience in tech and fashion at Google and Condé Nast; and Richard Kim, former head of shopping strategy at Pinterest. Frédérique Dame of Google Ventures believes this experienced team can tackle user adoption challenges and deliver highly personalized shopping experiences.
🚀 Future Plans and Revenue Model
Daydream plans to use its new capital to hire engineering talent and scale quickly. The company aims to increase its staff from 23 to 35 by the end of the year. Unlike other e-commerce platforms, Daydream will not fulfill orders but will act as a discovery layer for shopping, relying on commission-based revenue instead of ad-based revenue. Julie Bornstein also mentioned the possibility of white-labeling their technology in the future, similar to visual fashion-focused search company Syte.
Will AI change the way we shop online?
