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25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AI Startup ChatBlu Secures $500K in Pre-Seed Funding to Automate Inventory for Online Retailers
ChatBlu has raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding to launch an autonomous AI agent that automates inventory management across platforms for multi-platform e-commerce. Founded by 20-year-olds Kristian Lukauskis and Alexander Dillon, the startup is backed by Matador VC and angels from Google and Courtesy of ChatBlu LONDON, Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ChatBlu, a rising artificial intelligence startup founded by Kristian Lukauskis of Miami and Alexander Dillon of London, has announced the close of a $500,000 pre-seed funding round. The company is building an autonomous AI agent designed to eliminate manual inventory management for e-commerce sellers operating across multiple platforms. The round was led by Matador Venture Capital, a firm known for backing several Y Combinator X25 companies. It included participation from angel investors associated with Google and Amazon Web Services. The funding will support ChatBlu's product development and go-to-market rollout, which is planned for September 2025. ChatBlu was incorporated in April 2025 and aims to solve a widespread pain point in digital commerce: syncing listings, managing stock, and adjusting pricing across storefronts like Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and WooCommerce. By enabling store owners to issue simple, natural-language commands, the AI agent executes all backend tasks autonomously across channels. 'E-commerce has evolved, but inventory management hasn't kept up.' Said Dillon, 'ChatBlu is here to change that and set a new standard for how stores operate across platforms.' Industry research estimates that poor inventory coordination results in $1.8 trillion in lost revenue for retailers every year. ChatBlu's team believes their product can help merchants increase conversion rates by up to 20 percent through intelligent listing optimization and real-time inventory control. The company was developed within the 2024–2025 cohort of the Genoa Entrepreneurship School, a European accelerator program that boasts a 75 percent funding success rate. Supported by mentors such as Douglas Leone of Sequoia Capital, Genoa provides students with access to capital and global networks. ChatBlu's technical development is led by CTO Sairam Vangapally, a former Amazon and Shutterfly engineer. Additional team members bring experience from Apple, Meta, Adidas, and Xbox. ChatBlu will initially serve English-speaking markets, with expansion into the Hispanic e-commerce sector planned for 2026. Learn more about ChatBlu's technology and upcoming launch at About ChatBlu ChatBlu is an artificial intelligence company building the first autonomous AI agent for multi-platform inventory management. Founded by Kristian Lukauskis, Alexander Dillon, and Sairam Vangapally, ChatBlu has received $500,000 in funding to automate backend retail operations for digital merchants. The startup is backed by Genoa Entrepreneurship School and Matador Ventures Capital, which has several Y-Combinator startups in its portfolio. Its founding team brings experience from companies including Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Adidas. The company's vision is to eliminate manual inventory processes through intelligent automation. Contact Information: Contact Person's Name: Kristian Lukauskis, CEOOrganization / Company: ChatBluCompany website: Email Address: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arm Ropes In Amazon AI Executive to Boost Chip Plans
Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) has tapped Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) AI chip director Rami Sinno as it pushes deeper into designing its own chips, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the move. Sinno was a key architect behind Amazon's homegrown Trainium and Inferentia processors, built to train and run large-scale AI models. His hiring adds heavyweight experience to Arm's effort to go beyond licensing processor blueprints to other firms and build more complete silicon solutions itself. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with ARM. Majority-owned by SoftBank (SFTBY), Arm already supplies the underlying architecture used in chips for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) GPUs. But CEO Rene Haas said in July that the company is ramping up R&D to explore chiplets, subsystems, and potentially full chip designs. Sinno joins a growing roster of industry veterans Arm has pulled in for the push, including Nicolas Dube from HPE and Steve Halter, who previously worked at Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM). For investors, the hires underline Arm's ambition to move up the value chain and capture more of the profits flowing from the AI hardware boom. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SoftBank Drops $2B on Intel -- Just Days After Trump Meeting Sparks Global Chip Shock
SoftBank (SOBKY) has made a headline-grabbing move, agreeing to buy $2 billion worth of newly issued Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) stock at $23 a share, just under its last close. The deal immediately lifted Intel's shares more than 5% in after-hours trading, while SoftBank's own stock dropped over 5% in Tokyo. For Intel, the backing provides a fresh vote of confidence at a time when it is fighting to regain relevance in the AI era. For SoftBank, it expands a portfolio already tied to Nvidia and TSMC, signaling Masayoshi Son's determination to push deeper into the semiconductor backbone of artificial intelligence. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 11 Warning Signs with SOBKY. The timing raises intrigue. Intel, under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, has been pressing to reassert its position in global chipmaking after falling behind TSMC in manufacturing and Nvidia in design. Tan recently met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, laying the groundwork for talks about Washington potentially taking a 10% stake in Intel. Analysts suggest that SoftBank's move could be as much about geopolitics as about profit, especially as Tokyo leans on Washington to reduce tariffs in exchange for new Japanese investment in the US. Meanwhile, SoftBank continues to chase massive AI hardware ambitions through its $500 billion Stargate project and the yet-to-launch Izanagi chip. Both leaders framed the deal as a long-term bet. Son praised Intel's half-century of innovation and emphasized the role of US semiconductor capacity in global AI infrastructure. Tan, who once sat on SoftBank's board, called the investment a personal vote of confidence. The market reaction shows investors weighing whether this partnership can accelerate Intel's turnaround and strengthen SoftBank's foothold in US technologyor whether it is another ambitious wager where political theater and corporate strategy blur. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
