Latest news with #Remark
Finextra
02-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Remark raises $16 million for AI-based online shopping assistant
Remark, the company building human-trained AI product experts for commerce, today announced a $16 million Series A funding round. 0 The round was led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures, bringing the company's total funding to $27 million. Despite trillions spent on e-commerce infrastructure, the single most effective driver of sales — the in-store expert — has never been replicated online. Shoppers crave personalized guidance, and when they receive it, they convert at staggering rates. Merchants that deliver tailored product advice see meaningfully higher conversion rates, larger order values, and reduced return rates. Remark brings this high-converting experience online, turning passive browsing into confident buying through AI personas trained by over 60,000 human product experts and counting. Remark's language models are trained on the knowledge, tone, and preferences of Olympic athletes, stylists, estheticians, new parents, and more. These insights become always-on digital advisors embedded directly in brand storefronts. Unlike generic chatbots or large language models fine-tuned on public data, Remark's personas are trained on the anecdotes and personal knowledge of subject-matter experts. The result is warm, informed guidance that helps customers find the right products and delivers the kind of personalized, high-touch experience shoppers expect in store. 'We believe AI should elevate the human experience, not replace it,' said Theo Satloff, CEO and co-founder of Remark. 'By working with real product experts to train AI personas, we're creating guidance that's trusted, helpful, and deeply personal. Our goal is to make online shopping feel less like a transaction and more like being guided by someone who truly understands what you need.' Since its funding last year, Remark has grown revenue 4x year-over-year, maintained 100% retention across more than 60 brand partners, and achieved nearly 130% net dollar retention. Remark has driven tens of millions in net new revenue for its customers, delivering an average lift of 10%, and has converted 28% of shoppers — far above the industry average of 1%. It has also helped brands save over $3.2 million in customer service costs by reducing support tickets and guiding shoppers to the right fit more efficiently. 'Remark is redefining how brands connect with customers,' said Kamran Ali, Principal at Inspired Capital. 'They've created an entirely new category of AI-native commerce, one that blends real human expertise with scalable technology. Remark is proving that this model not only improves the shopping experience, but also directly drives business results.' As shoppers increasingly expect deeper guidance in categories like health, beauty, apparel, and outdoor gear, Remark gives merchants a competitive edge by combining the revenue driving power of human retail sales associates with the speed and scale of AI. With this new funding, Remark will expand into new verticals, grow its expert network, and deepen its tooling for training, deployment, and analytics. The company is also building new systems to help brands launch AI personas faster, measure performance in real time, and adapt to shifting customer needs.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Remark raises $16M to build out human-powered expert models for e-commerce
Startups working on AI-powered e-commerce tools often rely on external data or user signals to build and improve their models. However, a company called Remark is taking a different approach by letting thousands of human experts chat with users while they are purchasing items, and then using that knowledge to train models. Remark also makes those experts 'available' all the time by having their AI-powered persona answer questions. Remark said that this resulted in a 10% net revenue gain for partners, which was a great sign for investors. The startup on Tuesday announced $16 million in Series A funding led by Inspired Capital with participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures. This brings the startup's total funding to date to $27 million. Remark plans to use the funds to grow its team of 25 people and spend on model training. Remark joins a number of startups that are plugging AI into various areas of e-commerce, such as search, try-ons, chatbots, and dynamic page generation that is suited for AI-powered experiences. While these companies operate in different areas, merchants can only spend so much to enhance their online experience. In this market, Remark could have challenges in scaling and competing with other e-commerce startups using AI. While Remark previously depended on a cut of the sale to generate revenue, the company has moved to a SaaS-based (software-as-a-service) model for better cash flow and now takes a fee based on site traffic. The company's CEO, Theo Satloff, said that physical stores tend to see high conversion rates of 30-35% compared to online stores that convert at roughly 1.5%. With Remark, the startup wanted to change that. 'The reason for low conversion rates on e-commerce sites is that people have a lot of questions when they shop. They have to go on Reddit or ask their friends to get advice about the purchase. In a store, a person with product knowledge helps them, so the conversion rate is high,' he explained. 'At Remark, we want to bring that kind of expertise to online shopping for our partners,' Satloff said in a call with TechCrunch. When a user visits a site that uses Remark, the startup's tool generates a set of dynamic questions that can drive the user's purchasing decision. If a user is looking for pots and pans, the site could ask what kind of stovetop they have, or if they use diesel conduction or gas. When the user clicks on one of these questions, a chat interface opens where they're matched with an expert who can offer advice about buying an item. Remark matches an expert with a user based on skill set and locale, it says. If an expert is not available, the user is matched with an AI bot based on those experts who can help them with their shopping. The company is slowly expanding its expert network. Satloff said Remark works with a variety of accreditation agencies to verify the expertise of the people who work with them. (This is akin to Airbnb adding various experience providers for its platform.) Experts are paid for their time on the platform on a per-chat basis. They are also paid when their AI persona converts a sale. While the startup didn't provide an exact figure for the average earnings that an expert receives, it said its top 20% earn $60,000-$70,000 per year by spending more than 15-20 hours a week offering advice. The catch is that the human expert needs to be alert to requests from users. When a user activates a chat, experts get a notification on their phone on Remark's app, and they have five to eight seconds to claim the chat and respond to the buyer. Remark also dynamically rewrites the content on the website based on the user's conversation with the expert and what they might be looking for. The company has been growing quickly. Following its $10 million fundraise in 2023, Remark has seen 4x revenue growth. It also increased its network of experts from 50,000 to 60,000. Kamran Ali, a Principal at Inspired Capital, said that Remark's utilization of human insights was an important factor in the VC firm investing in the startup. 'As AI continues to take over the Internet, we're going to continue to be inundated with just a ton of AI-generated content everywhere we go. The amount of AI-generated content we see today is dramatically more than a year ago, and that's there's no end in sight. So, having human insights and preferences will actually be at a premium, and that's what attracted us to invest in Remark,' he told TechCrunch over a call. Remark is now working on the ability to generate blog posts that recommend products based on expert conversations. Later, it plans to send personalized follow-up emails to users about a conversation they had with an expert. Sign in to access your portfolio
TechCrunch
01-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Remark raises $16M to build out human-powered expert models for e-commerce
Startups working on AI-powered e-commerce tools often rely on external data or user signals to build and improve their models. However, a company called Remark is taking a different approach by letting thousands of human experts chat with users while they are purchasing items, and then using that knowledge to train models. Remark also makes those experts 'available' all the time by having their AI-powered persona answer questions. Remark said that this resulted in a 10% net revenue gain for partners, which was a great sign for investors. The startup on Tuesday announced $16 million in Series A funding led by Inspired Capital with participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures. This brings the startup's total funding to date to $27 million. Remark plans to use the funds to grow its team of 25 people and spend on model training. Remark joins a number of startups that are plugging AI into various areas of e-commerce, such as search, try-ons, chatbots, and dynamic page generation that is suited for AI-powered experiences. While these companies operate in different areas, merchants can only spend so much to enhance their online experience. In this market, Remark could have challenges in scaling and competing with other e-commerce startups using AI. While Remark previously depended on a cut of the sale to generate revenue, the company has moved to a SaaS-based (software-as-a-service) model for better cash flow and now takes a fee based on site traffic. Image Credits: Remark The company's CEO, Theo Satloff, said that physical stores tend to see high conversion rates of 30-35% compared to online stores that convert at roughly 1.5%. With Remark, the startup wanted to change that. 'The reason for low conversion rates on e-commerce sites is that people have a lot of questions when they shop. They have to go on Reddit or ask their friends to get advice about the purchase. In a store, a person with product knowledge helps them, so the conversion rate is high,' he explained. 'At Remark, we want to bring that kind of expertise to online shopping for our partners,' Satloff said in a call with TechCrunch. When a user visits a site that uses Remark, the startup's tool generates a set of dynamic questions that can drive the user's purchasing decision. If a user is looking for pots and pans, the site could ask what kind of stovetop they have, or if they use diesel conduction or gas. When the user clicks on one of these questions, a chat interface opens where they're matched with an expert who can offer advice about buying an item. Image Credits:Remark Remark matches an expert with a user based on skill set and locale, it says. If an expert is not available, the user is matched with an AI bot based on those experts who can help them with their shopping. The company is slowly expanding its expert network. Satloff said Remark works with a variety of accreditation agencies to verify the expertise of the people who work with them. (This is akin to Airbnb adding various experience providers for its platform.) Experts are paid for their time on the platform on a per-chat basis. They are also paid when their AI persona converts a sale. While the startup didn't provide an exact figure for the average earnings that an expert receives, it said its top 20% earn $60,000-$70,000 per year by spending more than 15-20 hours a week offering advice. The catch is that the human expert needs to be alert to requests from users. When a user activates a chat, experts get a notification on their phone on Remark's app, and they have five to eight seconds to claim the chat and respond to the buyer. Image Credits:Remark Remark also dynamically rewrites the content on the website based on the user's conversation with the expert and what they might be looking for. The company has been growing quickly. Following its $10 million fundraise in 2023, Remark has seen 4x revenue growth. It also increased its network of experts from 50,000 to 60,000. Kamran Ali, a Principal at Inspired Capital, said that Remark's utilization of human insights was an important factor in the VC firm investing in the startup. 'As AI continues to take over the Internet, we're going to continue to be inundated with just a ton of AI-generated content everywhere we go. The amount of AI-generated content we see today is dramatically more than a year ago, and that's there's no end in sight. So, having human insights and preferences will actually be at a premium, and that's what attracted us to invest in Remark,' he told TechCrunch over a call. Remark is now working on the ability to generate blog posts that recommend products based on expert conversations. Later, it plans to send personalized follow-up emails to users about a conversation they had with an expert.
Business Wire
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Remark Raises $16M Series A to Humanize AI in Online Shopping
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Remark, the company building human-trained AI product experts for commerce, today announced a $16 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Inspired Capital, with participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures, bringing the company's total funding to $27 million. Despite trillions spent on e-commerce infrastructure, the single most effective driver of sales — the in-store expert — has never been replicated online. Shoppers crave personalized guidance, and when they receive it, they convert at staggering rates. Merchants that deliver tailored product advice see meaningfully higher conversion rates, larger order values, and reduced return rates. Remark brings this high-converting experience online, turning passive browsing into confident buying through AI personas trained by over 60,000 human product experts and counting. Remark's language models are trained on the knowledge, tone, and preferences of Olympic athletes, stylists, estheticians, new parents, and more. These insights become always-on digital advisors embedded directly in brand storefronts. Unlike generic chatbots or large language models fine-tuned on public data, Remark's personas are trained on the anecdotes and personal knowledge of subject-matter experts. The result is warm, informed guidance that helps customers find the right products and delivers the kind of personalized, high-touch experience shoppers expect in store. 'We believe AI should elevate the human experience, not replace it,' said Theo Satloff, CEO and co-founder of Remark. 'By working with real product experts to train AI personas, we're creating guidance that's trusted, helpful, and deeply personal. Our goal is to make online shopping feel less like a transaction and more like being guided by someone who truly understands what you need.' Since its funding last year, Remark has grown revenue 4x year-over-year, maintained 100% retention across more than 60 brand partners, and achieved nearly 130% net dollar retention. Remark has driven tens of millions in net new revenue for its customers, delivering an average lift of 10%, and has converted 28% of shoppers — far above the industry average of 1%. It has also helped brands save over $3.2 million in customer service costs by reducing support tickets and guiding shoppers to the right fit more efficiently. 'Remark is redefining how brands connect with customers,' said Kamran Ali, Principal at Inspired Capital. 'They've created an entirely new category of AI-native commerce, one that blends real human expertise with scalable technology. Remark is proving that this model not only improves the shopping experience, but also directly drives business results.' As shoppers increasingly expect deeper guidance in categories like health, beauty, apparel, and outdoor gear, Remark gives merchants a competitive edge by combining the revenue driving power of human retail sales associates with the speed and scale of AI. With this new funding, Remark will expand into new verticals, grow its expert network, and deepen its tooling for training, deployment, and analytics. The company is also building new systems to help brands launch AI personas faster, measure performance in real time, and adapt to shifting customer needs. About Remark Remark is an AI company making online shopping more human. By combining the voices of real product experts with proprietary AI technology, Remark delivers personalized product guidance that helps consumers make confident choices — and helps brands drive measurable results. Founded in 2022, Remark is based in Boston and backed by Inspired Capital, Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital, and Visible Ventures. For more information, visit:
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Remark Holdings Collaborates with Google Public Sector to Accelerate Computer Vision AI Innovation in New York State
NEW YORK CITY, NY / / May 16, 2025 / Remark Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK:MARK), a leading provider of AI-powered computer vision analytics, smart city, and smart agent solutions is proud to announce that Google Public Sector has selected our advanced computer-vision AI technology to power key public sector projects across New York. This collaboration is part of Google Public Sector's broader initiative to modernize government operations, enhance service delivery, and drive digital transformation across the state. Through a landmark two-year Enterprise Cloud Services Agreement with the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), Google Public Sector is providing state agencies with secure access to cutting-edge cloud and AI tools-including Remark's computer vision AI-to support data analytics, disaster recovery, and operational efficiency. By integrating our technology, Google Public Sector is enabling state employees to automate information retrieval, streamline workflows, and improve decision-making in critical areas such as infrastructure monitoring, public safety, and healthcare delivery. This partnership will: Enhance the state's ability to process and analyze visual data from diverse sources, improving response times and service quality. Support ongoing efforts to connect and integrate disparate systems, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Provide training and support to ensure agencies maximize the benefits of AI-driven solutions. "By combining our computer vision AI with Google Public Sector's scale and reach, we are setting a new standard for how technology can transform public sector services - turning complex visual data into actionable insights for the people of New York State." said Kai-Shing Tao, Chairman and CEO of Remark Holdings, Inc. About Remark Holdings, Inc. Remark Holdings, Inc. (OTC: MARK) is a leading AI-powered analytics platform that brings valuable insights to the video feeds provided by current cameras and computer vision solutions through its integrated suite of AI tools that provide real-time alerts for fire, smoke, and weapons detection and smart city CCTV video security solutions while hosting AI-powered agents through smart chat 311 Services, as well as helping organizations understand their customer behavior and demographics through smart retail and traffic analytics. Remark's global team of sector-experienced professionals has created award-winning GDPR-compliant and CCPA-compliant video analytics solutions that service the aviation, government agencies, hospitality, public safety, retail, and transportation sectors. The company's headquarters are in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, with operational offices in New York and international offices in London, England. For more information, please visit our home page at Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, and regulations. Words such as "may," "should," "could," "would," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions, as well as statements in the future tense, identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in Remark Holdings' Annual Report on Form 10-K and Remark Holdings' other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements reflect Remark Holdings' current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given such uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which represent Remark Holdings' estimates and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Remark Holdings undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Company Contact Fay TianVice President of Investor RelationsRemark 626-623-2000 SOURCE: Remark Holdings, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire 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
