This AI startup raised $300 million to build digital versions of consumers. Oct 26, 2026, 9:01 PM PT Companies could soon have a new way to find out your shopping habits - by asking your digital clone. Joon Sung Park, Co-Founder & CEO of Simile, an AI startup, told show host Molly O'Shea on the Sourcery podcast released on Monday that the company is building simulations of people that businesses can quiz about everything from products to marketing campaigns. Park said the company is "creating a foundation model of human behavior that basically can take as input a description of a person or a group of people and then simulate what these people might do in different contexts," Park said. "So they get access to this web interface where they can basically come in and define two things," Park added of existing users. "They can say who they want to talk to and what questions they want to ask. And really they can ask anything, and right now they can ask any number of questions." Park said Simile raised $300 million in total at a $2 billion valuation. Simile's pitch comes as retailers turn to AI to get shoppers to spend. Amazon and Walmart have rolled out AI shopping assistants that answer questions, compare products, and recommend items, while retailers use customer data to personalize what shoppers see. Executives at both companies have said their AI tools are helping boost online sales. Park said CVS has worked with Simile to better understand consumers, including their responses to store layouts and messaging. The startup also works with financial institutions and entertainment companies, Park said. Simile maintains simulated panels for different industries and collects additional data when customers want to understand a specific population. Park said Simile's partnerships with organizations, including Gallup, which have access to actual humans who have agreed to participate, provide it with data from more than 40 million people globally. He said the company also uses behavioral information, such as transaction and mobility data, to train its models. "If we can create simulations of people and be able to ask any questions at any time," Park said, "That becomes a superpower for these companies."

This AI startup raised $300 million to build digital versions of consumers Oct 27, 2026, 12:01 PM [Original article] AI startup Simile raised $300 million to build a foundation model of human behavior. This model can simulate consumers, allowing companies to define audiences and ask them questions to predict their behavior and decisions in different scenarios. - Simile raised $300 million to build models that simulate consumer behavior. - CEO Joon Sung Park said users can define audiences and ask simulated consumers questions. - Park said CVS and companies in finance and entertainment are already working with Simile. Companies may soon have a new way to understand your shopping habits - by asking your digital twin. AI startup Simile co-founder and CEO Joon Sung Park told host Molly O'Shea on the Sourcery Podcast released Monday that the company is building simulated models of humans that businesses can consult about everything from products to marketing campaigns. Park said the company "is building a foundation model of human behavior that can basically take a description of a person or a group of people as input and then simulate the actions those people might take in different situations," Park said. Park added that existing users "can use this web interface and basically come in and define two things. They can specify who they want to talk to and what questions they want to ask. In fact, they can ask anything, and currently there is no limit to the number of questions they can ask." Park said Simile has raised $300 million in total, at a $2 billion valuation. Simile's proposition comes as retailers turn to AI to get consumers to spend. Amazon and Walmart have launched AI shopping assistants that can answer questions, compare products and recommend items; retailers use customer data to personalize what consumers see. Executives at both companies have said their AI tools are helping boost online sales. Park said CVS has partnered with Simile to gain deeper insight into consumers, including how they respond to store layouts and messaging. Park said the startup is also working with financial institutions and entertainment companies. Simile maintains simulated panels for different industries and also collects additional data when clients want to understand a specific demographic. Park said Simile partners with organizations including Gallup; these organizations have access to real people who have agreed to participate, providing Simile with data on more than 40 million people worldwide. He said the company also uses behavioral information such as transaction and mobility data to train models. "If we can build simulations of humans and ask any question at any time," Park said, "that would be a superpower for these companies." This article was initially drafted by Business Insider TW using AI-assisted translation and confirmed through human review.

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