Azoma wants to help brands win the AI shopping race. See the pitch deck that helped it raise $11.2 million. Oct 21, 2026, 5:00 AM PT As people begin to delegate online purchases to AI assistants and agents, the startup Azoma wants to ensure its consumer-goods clients make the shopping list. Azoma works with brands to help their products be discovered by AI shopping agents and platforms, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Alexa for Shopping, and Walmart's Sparky. The company exclusively told CMO Insider on Wednesday that it had raised an $11.2 million Series A funding round, led by Puma Growth Partners. Founded in 2022, Azoma initially focused on helping brands show up prominently in AI search and chatbots, operating in the fast-growing field of generative engine optimization, or GEO. Then, over the past year, at least a dozen new AI shopping assistants from retailers rolled out, alongside the launch of personal AI assistants like Meta's Muse, OpenAI's Dots, and Instinct, which can also make purchases on a user's behalf. In December, Morgan Stanley estimated that AI-powered shopping assistants could account for up to $385 billion in US e-commerce sales by 2030. "The space has evolved rapidly from customers just really caring about answer engines to caring about the other types as well," Azoma CEO Max Sinclair told CMO Insider. Azoma's customers include Unilever, L'Oréal, Reckitt, and Mars. It offers them a service it calls agentic commerce optimization, a technique that helps make their products more discoverable by large language models and more likely to be recommended by them. Azoma suggests actions the clients can take to improve their visibility, from honing their marketplace listings to optimizing their content on YouTube and Reddit. It also uses "digital twin" technology to simulate different consumer demographics, so brands can see how their products are presented to the specific shoppers they want to target. Sinclair said Azoma differs from other GEO companies because it's laser-focused on the commerce space and working with brands who sell physical goods. "Many of our customers have tried these generic GEO platforms and found that they don't understand commerce at all," Sinclair said. "They don't understand the integrations, they don't understand the workflows, they don't understand the existing tech stack, they don't understand how the teams work, how they're operated, how they're motivated." Sinclair said Azoma plans to invest the fresh funds in ensuring its technology can track across all the latest agents, from Meta's Muse to TikTok's new Shopping Assistant. The company charges a fee per brand, geography, and shopping agent. Sinclair estimated the company's head count would grow to around 80 to 100 people next year, up from 40 currently, as it ramps up hiring in areas including sales, customer success, AI research, software development, and operations. Azoma also plans to integrate data from the Tesco-owned retail analytics company Dunnhumby to help brands determine whether increasing their share of voice on a platform like ChatGPT translates into a sales lift at brick-and-mortar retailers. Dunnhumby Ventures also participated in the round, alongside Twinpath, Mars IAF, Rank Ventures, and Ignite Ventures. Check out the pitch deck Azoma used to secure its $11.2 million Series A investment, shared exclusively with CMO Insider. Some of the slides have been omitted or redacted.

Kevel secures $52 million to scale ai-driven infrastructure for the future of commerce media. GlobeNewswire Published Oct 21, 2026 Largest funding round to date accelerates product innovation, transparent AI decisioning, and global expansion for commerce networks DURHAM, North Carolina, Oct. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Kevel, the ad tech infrastructure empowering commerce businesses to build media networks they own and grow, today announced $52 million in new capital, marking the largest capital raise in the company's history. The financing includes expanded strategic investments from Fulcrum Equity Partners, dunnhumby Ventures LLC, Iberis Capital and additional growth capital from ORIX Corporation USA's ("ORIX USA") Growth Capital business. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kevel's total capital raised now exceeds $100 million, reflecting strong demand for its technology across the retail and commerce media industry. The continued support of investors like dunnhumby, the retail media arm of Tesco, reflects growing momentum behind retailer-owned media ecosystems. Dunnhumby's recent launch of the Dunnhumby Network Alliance (DNA), built in partnership with Kevel, also demonstrates an increase in industry-wide initiatives like this to drive greater scale and connectivity across retail media networks. Top Stories Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Kevel's API-first architecture gives retailers, marketplaces and commerce platforms the flexibility to build media businesses around their own customers, data and growth strategies. As commerce media enters its next stage of maturity, businesses are shifting focus from launching to scaling media networks, requiring infrastructure capable of supporting omnichannel activation and AI-powered decisioning. "Commerce media is entering a new era, one defined by ownership, transparency, and AI-driven infrastructure built around the business rather than intermediaries," said James Avery, Founder & CEO, Kevel. "To keep commerce media open and competitive, businesses must own their monetization and data. This raise enables us to scale the technology retailers and marketplaces need to build differentiated media networks, drive sustainable growth, and compete head-to-head with the largest platforms." Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kevel is the leading commerce media platform, trusted by over 100+ commerce media networks, including Tesco, Dollar General Media Networks, John Lewis Partnership, Paypal, Scandinavian Airlines, Home Depot's Orange Apron Media, Nubank, and more, across North America, Europe, LATAM, and APAC. Kevel has a commitment to powering independent, privacy-first media networks for retailers, marketplaces and commerce platforms so they can compete with the walled gardens on their own terms. "Kevel has built an impressive, highly differentiated platform that enables customers to rapidly launch and scale retail media businesses tailored to their unique brands and audiences," said Blake Zhang, Managing Director in ORIX USA's Growth Capital business. "As the market continues to expand across on-site, off-site, in-store and other emerging channels, we believe Kevel is well positioned to help customers navigate that growing complexity and scale across an increasingly broad ecosystem. We are excited to partner with James and the Kevel team as they continue to innovate and help shape the next generation of retail media." This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The investment reinforces Kevel's position as the API-first infrastructure layer for AI-enabled commerce media, built on a simple principle: AI that retailers can see into, control, and trust. As AI becomes increasingly central to media monetization, retailers need real visibility into how decisions are made and confidence that those decisions align with their business goals. Kevel's transparent AI shows exactly how and why every ad decision is made, so retailers can prove performance to advertisers, protect the shopper experience, and keep full ownership of their data and models. "Kevel's continued investment in building cutting-edge infrastructure and AI to power commerce media networks is truly incredible," commented Philip Lewis, Partner, Fulcrum Equity Partners. "We are thrilled to continue investing to ensure that Kevel has the resources to support the complex needs of our partners." The funding will accelerate Kevel's next stage of growth, with transparent AI at the center of its product roadmap. The company will continue developing its AI decisioning and optimization capabilities so that every ranking, bid and placement decision is explainable, auditable and configurable by retailers. The company will also expand globally into new retail and commerce media categories and deepen its strategic advisory services, helping retailers at every stage of maturity put AI to work without giving up visibility or control. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cafferty & Company, an independent debt advisory firm, served as the sole advisor to Kevel on the transaction. About Kevel Kevel powers top retail and commerce media networks globally. Kevel helps businesses build a media network around its unique goals. This enables them to create differentiated media experiences, unlock new revenue streams, and scale in an AI-first world. Built API-first, Kevel combines the speed of buying with the control of building. Companies can use Kevel's transparent AI or bring their own data and models, giving them the flexibility to evolve their media business as customers, advertisers, and market opportunities change. The result is a media network that launches quickly, adapts continuously, and scales revenue over time. For more information, visit kevel.com. Media Contact This advertisement has not loaded yet. Quick Picks

Sony BRAVIA power Booker's nationwide retail media network. Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays help create a highly visible, centrally managed retail media network across more than 100 Booker Wholesale locations 15 October 2026 15th October 2026, Weybridge UK: Booker Wholesale, the UK's market-leading foodservice wholesale provider, deployed more than 500 Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays to establish a new nationwide retail media network across 100 Booker locations. The project, delivered by managed digital media solutions provider Pixel Inspiration in partnership with retail media specialist dunnhumby, marks a significant expansion of Booker's in-store retail media capabilities. The network provides brands with a new digital advertising channel designed specifically to engage Booker's trade customers throughout their shopping journey. Creating a retail media network for the wholesale environment Booker wanted to introduce a consistent, scalable retail media platform across its national estate, providing brands with an engaging way to communicate with customers within its busy wholesale environment. To deliver this, Pixel Inspiration worked closely with Booker and dunnhumby to specify and deploy more than 500, Sony 65" BZ35L BRAVIA Professional Displays across 100 locations, completing the rollout within an eight-week implementation cycle. Installed predominantly at rack ends and above palletised merchandise, the displays provide a highly visible platform for targeted advertising and promotional content, while integrating into the existing wholesale environment. Designed for a demanding retail environment The wholesale environment presented specific challenges for the installation. Displays needed to be positioned for maximum visibility while also being protected against accidental impacts from stock movement, pallet handling and day-to-day warehouse operations. Sony BZ35L BRAVIA Professional Displays were selected as part of the hardware solution to provide the combination of image quality, reliability and operational efficiency required for the network. To provide additional protection, Pixel Inspiration worked with UNICOL to develop a combined mounting and protective shroud solution. This was designed to withstand the demands of a busy cash and carry environment while maintaining appropriate airflow and ventilation around the displays. The displays use Sony's Android-based System on Chip (SoC) technology, reducing the need for additional external media players and helping simplify the overall installation. Centralised content and remote management The network is managed through the DISE content management system, enabling campaign content to be centrally targeted and distributed across Booker's national estate. Sony Remote Device Manager is also used to monitor the displays remotely, carry out firmware updates and undertake maintenance tasks. This helps reduce the need for onsite intervention and supports efficient management of the large-scale display network. To minimise disruption to Booker's stores and customers, installation work was completed outside of peak trading hours, allowing normal operations to continue throughout the eight-week rollout. A scalable platform for Booker and its brand partners The completed network provides Booker with a consistent digital platform across its estate, while giving brands a highly visible way to reach trade customers at key points during the shopping journey. Following the rollout, Pixel Inspiration continues to provide a fully managed service for the digital estate, including proactive 24/7 support and rapid onsite hardware maintenance. The project demonstrates how Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays can be deployed at scale in demanding commercial environments, combining high-quality visual communication with centralised content management and remote device monitoring. "Booker's nationwide retail media network is a great example of how digital signage is evolving to create new opportunities for brands to engage customers in highly relevant environments. This deployment demonstrates the scalability and versatility of Sony's display technology, while the combination of high-quality visuals, remote device management and reliable performance makes it well suited to the demands of a busy wholesale environment. We're delighted to support Booker and Pixel Inspiration in creating a platform that can deliver value for both Booker's customers and its brand partners," comments Karl Ingham, Key Account Manager, Sony Professional Displays and Solutions Europe.