AI Commerce Startups Raise $198.7 Million for Automation
Three firms secure capital to advance AI tools for product discovery and supply chain management for consumer brands.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Three AI startups—Azoma, Opply, and Profound—have secured a collective $198.7 million in new funding to develop tools for automated commerce. These companies aim to automate product discovery, marketing, and supply chain management as brands increasingly shift tasks to AI assistants.
Why it matters
The capital influx underscores a market push to move consumer purchasing power from humans to autonomous agents. By automating everything from sourcing to customer-facing shopping assistants, these startups intend to capture a portion of the projected $3 trillion to $5 trillion agentic commerce market.
Profound secured $180 million, while Azoma and Opply raised $11.2 million and $7.5 million, respectively. Existing AI commerce platforms like the Instinct AI Assistant have already processed $1 billion in transactions, with early user data indicating Walmart Sparky users spend 40% more than non-users.
The players
Azoma
A London-based startup that provides AI-powered marketing and product discovery tools for consumer brands.
Opply
A London-based platform that leverages AI to streamline sourcing, procurement, and supply chain financing for retailers.
Profound
A New York-based developer of AI supply chain systems that recently secured $180 million in Series D funding.
The details
These platforms optimize CPG (consumer packaged goods) operations by integrating AI into backend and frontend workflows. Azoma generates AI-tailored marketing content for search and shopping assistants, while Opply automates procurement, sourcing, and supply chain financing. Profound builds applied AI models designed to manage these logistical tasks automatically, replacing traditional manual intervention in the purchase cycle.
Timeline
2021: Opply was founded.
2022: Azoma was founded as Ecomtent.
2024: Profound was founded.
2025: Ecomtent rebranded to Azoma.
September 2026: Profound raised $180 million.
The Tech Race
These funding rounds signal a race to standardize the infrastructure for autonomous shopping agents. This follows the industry trajectory established by McKinsey, which estimates agentic commerce could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion in sales by 2030.
Retailers and brands will increasingly integrate these AI tools to manage inventory and influence consumer search results. Over the coming years, shoppers can expect AI assistants to take a more active role in suggesting products and handling purchase logistics.
The takeaway
The sector is transitioning from simple chatbots to agentic commerce systems that actively manage supply chains and procurement. Watch for future benchmarks regarding consumer transaction volume on platforms using Instinct AI Assistant to confirm if AI-driven shopping consistently results in higher spending.
Further reading
For broader trends in autonomous systems, see our coverage on Artificial Intelligence.
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