WizCommerce Secures $8M to Bring AI Employees to $10T Wholesale

WizCommerce, an AI-native sales and ecommerce platform, has successfully raised $8 million in a Series A funding round, signaling a significant move to modernize the sprawling, yet technologically underserved, wholesale distribution sector.[1][2][3] The investment was led by Peak XV Partners, formerly known as Sequoia India, with notable participation from existing investors including Blume Ventures, Z47, and Alpha Wave.[2][4] This infusion of capital is earmarked for an ambitious expansion into the United States market and to further enhance the company's artificial intelligence capabilities, aiming to overhaul the deeply entrenched manual processes that characterize the $10 trillion U.S. wholesale industry.[5][1][6] Founded in 2020 by Divyaanshu Makkar, a former executive at Bessemer Venture Partners, and Vikas Garg, previously with Zomato, WizCommerce is positioning itself to be the core operating system for an industry still heavily reliant on spreadsheets, fax machines, and outdated portals.[7][8][1] The company's platform already processes a significant volume of transactions, with an annualized gross merchandise value (GMV) reported to be between $100 million and $200 million.[5][1][3]

The substantial funding round highlights a critical pain point in the global economy: the operational inefficiency of the B2B wholesale market.[5][8] This vast sector, which serves as a crucial intermediary between manufacturers and retailers, has been slow to adopt digital tools, leading to compressed margins due to rising tariffs, freight costs, and administrative burdens.[8][2] Many wholesalers and distributors manage their complex operations through a patchwork of manual order-taking, spreadsheets, and legacy systems that are ill-equipped to handle the demands of modern commerce, such as wholesale-specific pricing, custom catalogs, and multi-party approval workflows.[7][5][1] This technological gap creates significant opportunities for specialized platforms like WizCommerce, which are building solutions tailored specifically for the nuances of B2B sales digitization.[7] The challenge for distributors is compounded by the evolving expectations of B2B buyers, who now demand seamless, consumer-like digital purchasing experiences with features like real-time inventory tracking and omnichannel fulfillment.[9]

WizCommerce addresses these industry-wide challenges with a comprehensive, AI-powered platform designed to digitize and automate the entire sales cycle, from lead capture to invoicing and payments.[7][10] The system integrates quoting, intelligent storefronts, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and payments into a single, unified interface for sales representatives, marketers, and buyers.[5][1] A key differentiator is its focus on AI to not just automate, but to augment the sales process.[11][12][13] The platform's AI-powered sales application provides sales reps with real-time stock information, helps curate offerings for specific customers, and recommends proposals to enhance up-selling and cross-selling opportunities.[5][10] Co-founder and CEO Divyaanshu Makkar has articulated a vision where AI handles the "grunt work," allowing sales teams to close deals faster and operations teams to run more efficiently.[1] To this end, the company has already launched innovative tools like Kai, an AI-powered sales assistant that highlights high-intent leads and missed follow-ups, and WizStudio, an AI lifestyle image generator that eliminates the need for costly photoshoots.[8][10]

The strategic implications of this funding extend beyond WizCommerce's own growth trajectory, pointing to a broader trend of AI-driven transformation within traditional B2B industries. The capital will be used to hire marketing and sales talent in the U.S. and to double down on product and technology development, with plans to launch "AI employees" for wholesalers to automate both front and back-office functions.[7][5][2] This move to create autonomous AI agents for various parts of the wholesale value chain represents a forward-looking approach that investors have lauded.[5][8] Rishen Kapoor, a Vice President at lead investor Peak XV, noted the rarity of a platform that improves both internal workflows and the external customer experience simultaneously, praising the consistent praise WizCommerce receives from both sales reps and buyers.[8][1] With over 700 sales reps and more than 300,000 buyers already utilizing the platform across sectors like home décor, lighting, and general merchandise, the company has established a strong foothold and is poised to become a core component of the modern wholesale technology stack.[8][1][3]

In conclusion, WizCommerce's $8 million funding round is a significant milestone for the startup and a clear indicator of the investment community's confidence in the power of AI to disrupt and revitalize legacy industries. By targeting the inefficiencies of the massive U.S. wholesale market, the company is not merely offering a new tool but is aiming to fundamentally rebuild the industry's operating system from the ground up with AI at its core.[8] The planned expansion and technological advancements, including the development of an "AI workforce," underscore a future where automation and intelligent workflows drive profitability and growth.[1][2] As WizCommerce scales its operations, its success could serve as a blueprint for how AI can unlock immense value hidden within the complex, manual processes of traditional B2B commerce, ultimately reshaping how trillions of dollars in goods are bought and sold.