Firmly raises $15M to connect retailers with AI shopping agents
GeekWire ·
Seattle-area Firmly raised a $15 million Series A led by Squarepoint Capital, with J.P. Morgan Payments, Mastercard and others participating; the round brings its disclosed funding to about $20 million. Its platform connects retailers’ existing commerce systems to AI shopping channels, and merchants pay $2,000 to $15,000 per month based on merchandise sales volume.
More from ringside
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Nectar rolls out an AI agent for creator marketing
Nectar’s Creator Agent searches more than 300 million creator profiles, assesses content and brand fit, and can handle personalized outreach, partnership logistics, and campaign tracking. The startup says it also reviews content in context for brand safety and keeps a record of creator interactions; the article does not disclose pricing or funding.
TechCrunch ·
- 02
Palomma Raises $10M Series A to Expand Rent and Landlord Finance Services
Colombia-based Palomma raised a $10 million Series A led by Cometa, bringing its total funding to $14 million. The startup combines AI tools for property managers with rent payments and financial products for tenants and landlords; it says it processes about $130 million in monthly rent payments.
Crunchbase News ·
- 03
OpenAI acquires AI travel startup Odessia less than a year after launch
Odessia founder Francis Davidson says OpenAI acquired his AI travel agent, which generated bookable itineraries based on users’ preferences. The purchase price was not disclosed; Odessia had raised a $6-million round led by Sequoia, and Davidson says he will join OpenAI to work on travel.
BetaKit ·
- 04
OpenAI acqui-hires Odessia founder after shutting down its AI travel agent
OpenAI acquired Odessia, an AI travel startup founded by Sonder’s Francis Davidson, who is joining the company to work on the future of travel. Odessia raised a $6 million pre-seed round led by Sequoia, but its product has been shut down; the deal’s terms were not disclosed.
Startups | TechCrunch ·
- 05
Cyanogen co-founder plans a free, AI-focused alternative to Windows
Kora Systems, founded by former Cyanogen co-founder Kirt McMaster, is developing a Linux desktop OS that embeds AI models and autonomous agents across apps and files. Planned for 2027 as a free product for Intel-, AMD- and Qualcomm-powered PCs, it targets heavy AI users; the company says AI coding tools have sped development at least fivefold.
Startups | TechCrunch ·
- 06
Blue J raises $176M USD to expand AI tax workflows
Toronto-based Blue J raised a $176 million USD Series E led by JMI Equity, valuing the AI tax research company at more than $700 million USD. The company says its annual recurring revenue has grown 165% since its Series D 15 months ago, and plans to develop agentic tax-workflow tools and expand in the UK.
BetaKit ·