--- title: "Azoma Secures $11.2 Million in Funding for AI-Optimized Commerce Platform" url: https://newscentral.site/azoma-secures-11-2-million-in-funding-for-ai-optimized-commerce/ language: en publisher: "News Central Site" section: "Business" published: 2026-10-21T12:00:01.000Z updated: 2026-10-21T12:48:54.259Z id: 7012f5cd-98b4-4eac-b58a-d19c90d47faf source: "Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/azoma-raises-millions-optimize-brands-ai-shopping-agents-2026-10" attribution: "Link to https://newscentral.site/azoma-secures-11-2-million-in-funding-for-ai-optimized-commerce/ and name News Central Site when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Azoma Secures $11.2 Million in Funding for AI-Optimized Commerce Platform The startup is working with brands like Unilever and L'Oréal to improve their online presence among AI shopping agents. Azoma, a startup founded in 2022, is working with brands to ensure their products are discovered by AI shopping agents and platforms. The company's platform measures the visibility of its clients' products among specific shoppers and offers tailored advice to improve their online presence. This expertise has attracted significant investment, with Azoma recently securing $11.2 million in funding. A notable aspect of this round is that it included a substantial amount of Series A funding, $2 million specifically. Azoma's platform operates within the growing field of generative engine optimization (GEO), helping brands optimize their products for AI search and chatbots. This focus has become increasingly important as more consumers delegate online purchases to AI assistants and agents. Over the past year, numerous new AI shopping assistants from retailers have been introduced, alongside personal AI assistants that can make purchases on a user's behalf, further underscoring the potential of this technology. Azoma's approach to commerce optimization has gained significant attention among top brands. The company's CEO, Max Sinclair, attributes this shift in focus to changing customer preferences, which now extend beyond simple answer engines to a broader range of AI-powered services. Unilever, L'Oréal, Reckitt, and Mars are among Azoma's clients, who benefit from its agentic commerce optimization service. This technique helps make products more discoverable by large language models and increases the likelihood of recommendations. By leveraging this expertise, brands can enhance their visibility in the market. Azoma provides actionable advice to its clients on how to improve their online presence. This includes optimizing marketplace listings, refining content on platforms like YouTube and Reddit, and honing product descriptions to better match consumer preferences. The company also employs "digital twin" technology to simulate diverse consumer demographics, enabling brands to tailor their marketing strategies to specific target groups. To stay ahead of the competition, Azoma plans to invest in its technology to accommodate emerging agents such as Meta's Muse and TikTok's Shopping Assistant. This move will allow the company to maintain its edge in the rapidly evolving commerce space. As part of its expansion plans, Azoma is set to increase its workforce significantly in the coming year. The company's headcount is expected to grow from around 40 employees currently to between 80 to 100 people next year. This growth will be driven by hiring in key areas such as sales, customer success, AI research, software development, and operations. Azoma aims to bolster its capabilities in these areas to support the increasing demand for its services. The company's technology is designed to help brands drive revenue through AI shopping agents, which are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. To further enhance its offering, Azoma plans to integrate data from Dunnhumby, a retail analytics company owned by Tesco. This integration will enable brands to determine whether their online presence translates into increased sales at physical retailers. Azoma's partnership with Dunnhumby Ventures in the recent funding round highlights the growing importance of data-driven insights for businesses navigating the rapidly evolving commerce landscape. As consumers increasingly turn to generative AI tools for product recommendations, a significant shift in shopping habits is underway. According to Capgemini's 2025 research, nearly six out of ten consumers have abandoned traditional search engines in favor of AI-powered suggestions. This trend has not gone unnoticed by major e-commerce platforms, which are investing heavily in AI-driven shopping experiences. Shopify President Harley Finkelstein noted on the company's August earnings call that traffic and orders from AI channels to Shopify stores had tripled over the past year. Meanwhile, Amazon's AI-powered shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping, has gained significant traction, with more than 350 million customers using it over the past 12 months. According to CEO Andy Jassy, US customers who utilize Alexa for Shopping spend 40% more per order compared to those who don't. Walmart is also leveraging AI in its shopping experience, with its Sparky assistant seeing a significant uptake in usage, up 70% year-on-year according to CEO John Furner. Like Amazon, Walmart reports that customers using Sparky for shopping increase their average order value by 40%. As Azoma continues to navigate the competitive landscape of AI-driven shopping experiences, its pitch deck highlights the challenges faced by brands in this space. The presentation emphasizes that as artificial intelligence adoption increases, brand control over channels and content is dwindling. Agentic commerce, a key area where Azoma specializes, involves agents gathering information from multiple sources to assist customers with their purchasing decisions. This can include online forums, editorial content, reviews, and even brands' own websites. By optimizing agentic commerce, Azoma aims to help brands regain control over these interactions. In one notable example, Azoma claims to have helped drive a significant revenue uplift for Mars through its optimization efforts. According to the presentation, this resulted in a 43% increase in revenue compared to a control group. This achievement underscores the potential of Azoma's expertise in agentic commerce optimization. By leveraging AI and machine learning, Azoma enables brands to better engage with customers and ultimately drive sales. As the e-commerce landscape continues to evolve, companies like Azoma are poised to play a crucial role in helping brands adapt and thrive in this new environment. --- Source: [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/azoma-raises-millions-optimize-brands-ai-shopping-agents-2026-10) Published by News Central Site: https://newscentral.site/azoma-secures-11-2-million-in-funding-for-ai-optimized-commerce/