eBay Ventures Backs Ecomtent For AI Powered Ecommerce Optimization
eBay Ventures joins MaRS IAF, Twinpath, Techstars and notable angel investors in $1.4 million in funding for Ecomtent, a London-based startup focused on helping sellers and retailers optimize for AI-powered search.
Founded in 2022 by Max Sinclair, a former Amazon executive who led key initiatives such as the launch of Amazon in Singapore and Amazon Grocery across the EU, and Timur Luguev, a PhD and Postdoctoral Researcher in Machine Learning, Ecomtent leverages technology to help ecommerce sellers and retailers optimize product listing content for AI-powered search.
“The way people shop online is undergoing a profound transformation,” said Sinclair, “and therefore also how sellers and retailers optimize for discoverability and conversion is changing. Longtail keyword matching is dead. The future lies in aligning with customer intent, across both written and visual assets.”
The platform generates visual and written content optimized for Amazon RUFUS, Google Gemini, ChatGPT Search and other AI-powered search and is a popular tool for Amazon sellers to produce high-quality lifestyle images, infographics, A+ Content, and copy at scale.
Following the new funding round backed by eBay Ventures and others, the company is launching Ecomtent 2.0, expanding from Amazon to include integrations with eBay, Walmart, Etsy and Faire coming soon.
Ecomtent is the second recent AI investment from eBay Ventures, with the fund also contributing to a Series B for AI coding platform Poolside in October.
Liz Morton
Funding these companies has obvious benefits for eBay, whose own AI efforts have been hit or miss and continues trend toward more tech focused endeavors compared to companies backed in eBay Ventures' early days.
Their first investment was Norwegian second-hand marketplace Tise in July 2022.
Liz Morton
Followed by investments in UK-based luxury resale outlet Cudoni and digital fan experience platform Notable Live both in January 2023.
Liz Morton
Sadly, the Cudoni investment did not pay off - just 3 months after raising £7.5 million ($9 million) in funding, the company announced it was going out of business effective immediately in April 2023.
Liz Morton
eBay Ventures joined Dick's Sporting Goods in investing in pre-owned sporting goods and equipment marketplace SidelineSwap in May 2023.
Liz Morton
Australian luxury fashion rental app The Volte received funding from eBay Ventures in May 2023 as well.
Liz Morton
And in October 2023, eBay pushed further into payments, backing UK Buy Now, Pay Later company Zilch.
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On the tech side, eBay Ventures has also partnered with TechStars on the Future of Ecommerce pre-seed accelerator program for early stage startups which announced its inaugural cohort of founders in October 2023.
Liz Morton
Have you used Ecomtent's tools to optimize your Amazon or other marketplace listings for AI search? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!
