Spangle, an AI e-commerce startup founded by former Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla, has achieved a $100 million valuation following a $15 million Series A funding round led by NewRoad Capital Partners. The startup aims to revolutionize online shopping by using AI to personalize shopping experiences in real-time, with its proprietary ProductGPT model tailoring product recommendations and content based on shopper behavior. Since its launch, Spangle has attracted major clients like Revolve and Steve Madden, reporting significant improvements in revenue per visit and return on ad spend for its users. The company plans to use the new funding to enhance its research and development, expand its engineering team, and grow its sales organization, positioning itself as a key player in the AI-powered commerce landscape. Why this matters: As AI continues to transform e-commerce, startups like Spangle are crucial in helping retailers adapt to changing consumer behaviors and leverage technology for personalized shopping experiences.
Recent developments in Agentic AI highlight significant strides across various sectors. Meta's acquisition of ManusAI aims to enhance agent capabilities in consumer and business products, while Notion is integrating AI agents to streamline workflows. Firecrawl's advancements allow for seamless data collection and web scraping across major platforms, and Prime Intellect's research into Recursive Language Models promises self-managing agents. Meanwhile, partnerships between Fiserv, Mastercard, and Visa are set to revolutionize agent-driven commerce, and Google is promoting spec-driven development for efficient agent deployment. However, concerns about security are rising, as Palo Alto Networks warns of AI agents becoming a major insider threat by 2026. These updates underscore the rapid integration and potential challenges of AI agents in various industries.