Latest news with #AlexanderDillon
Fashion United
a day ago
- Business
- Fashion United
AI start-up ChatBlu raises 500,000 US dollars in pre-seed funding
London-based artificial intelligence start-up ChatBlu, which bills itself as the first autonomous AI agent for multi-platform inventory management, has raised 500,000 US dollars in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Matador Venture Capital, with 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. Initially, the AI technology will serve English-speaking markets, with expansion into the Hispanic e-commerce sector planned for 2026. The start-up, founded by 20-year-olds Kristian Lukauskis and Alexander Dillon, 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 for all backend tasks autonomously across channels. Industry research estimates that poor inventory coordination results in 1.8 trillion US dollars in lost revenue for retailers every year. ChatBlu's team believes its product can help merchants increase conversion rates by up to 20 percent through intelligent listing optimisation and real-time inventory control. Dillon said in a statement: 'E-commerce has evolved, but inventory management hasn't kept up. ChatBlu is here to change that and set a new standard for how stores operate across platforms.' The company was developed within the 2024–2025 cohort of the Genoa Entrepreneurship School, a European accelerator programme that boasts a 75 percent funding success rate.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- 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 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
2 days ago
- Business
- 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
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kristian Lukauskis & Alexander Dillon Join Europe's Youngest Founders with $500K AI Startup Raise
Most 20-year-olds are navigating early career choices or completing university coursework. Kristian Lukauskis and Alexander Dillon are doing something entirely different. They have raised half a million dollars to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of e-commerce operations and they are doing it before their company has even launched. The two founders are the minds behind ChatBlu, an ambitious startup that has secured $500,000 in pre-seed funding to build what they call the first fully autonomous inventory management agent for online stores. Their goal is clear: give store owners a way to run their inventory systems on autopilot, across multiple platforms, without needing to hire a single manager. The Spark Behind the Idea ChatBlu was born from a frustration both founders shared that despite the tools and dashboards available, inventory management remained chaotic for millions of e-commerce sellers. Over 30 million online shops globally are still manually adjusting stock, updating listings, and managing pricing across different platforms. The cost of this inefficiency is staggering. According to industry estimates, it leads to over $1.8 trillion in lost revenue every year from overstocking, understocking, and missed sales. 'People think e-commerce has already been automated, but when you look behind the curtain, the operations are still painfully manual,' says Lukauskis. 'You are juggling all the online retail sites, and trying to keep everything aligned without mistakes. It is exhausting.' Their solution is an artificial intelligence agent that can take over these decisions and execute them across every connected platform. Sellers simply type commands, such as changing prices, applying discounts, or updating listings, and the agent implements the changes in real time. According to the team, this can improve conversion rates by up to 20 percent through intelligent product listing optimization alone. A Team Built to Execute What makes this story even more compelling is the team. Miami-native Lukauskis, had already built several profitable online businesses before turning 20. Dillon, based in the UK, studied at Loughborough University and brings a strategic lens to the operation. Together, they recruited a seasoned technologist to bring their idea to life. Sairam Vangapally, the 32-year-old Chief Technology Officer, is a hugely experienced data engineer with deep experience in AI systems and infrastructure. 'We wanted this product to be technically robust from day one,' says Dillon. 'So we brought on people who had scaled systems at multi-national online retail giants and worked on real enterprise-level infrastructure. It is not about hype. It is about building something that actually works at scale.' The rest of the team includes professionals who have spent time at huge global consumer brands. Their backgrounds span product development, machine learning, and enterprise software. This level of experience is rare for a startup still in pre-launch, but it underscores the seriousness of the vision. The Institutions That Believed Early ChatBlu is part of the 2024–2025 cohort of the Genoa Entrepreneurship School, an institution known for helping student founders raise capital and launch real businesses without taking time off from their education. Genoa Entrepreneurship School has a 75% success rate in helping its students raise funding. For Lukauskis and Dillon, the school did more than provide validation. It opened doors to a network of top-tier mentors from high profile, market-shaping companies, and it helped them shape a pitch that secured real investor interest. That interest translated into capital. The $500,000 round was led by Matador VC, a firm that has recently backed multiple Y Combinator companies. Angel investors from Amazon Web Services and Google also joined the round. Their backing puts Lukauskis and Dillon among the youngest founders in both Europe and North America to have secured pre-seed funding of this size. 'Having raised €1 million at 23 while studying, I know how hard it is to build at a young age. We saw the spark and the right attitude in Lukauskis, and we are proud to support him and those set to impact the world,' says Guglielmo Schenardi, founder of Genoa Entrepreneurship School. A Clear Vision for Launch ChatBlu plans to launch publicly in September. The initial rollout will focus on English-speaking markets, with plans to expand into the Hispanic e-commerce space by next year. Store owners using global e-tail platforms will be able to connect their stores to the ChatBlu agent, give it simple instructions, and let it handle everything from pricing logic to stock visibility to discount syncing. 'This is not about replacing people with robots. It is about removing tedious tasks so founders can spend their energy on what actually grows the business,' Lukauskis says. 'Inventory should be invisible. You should never have to think about it.' As competition increases and margins tighten, automation will become the difference between staying afloat and scaling profitably. For Lukauskis and Dillon, the timing is perfect. Their product aims to solve a real problem that drains time and resources from nearly every online store on the planet. And if they succeed, it will not just be a story of two young founders getting funded. It will be the beginning of a new way to run e-commerce, one where the only thing a seller needs to do is ask.
