Doji raises $14M to make virtual try-ons fun through AI avatars

Summary

For years, big tech companies like Amazon and Google have been trying to make virtual try-ons engaging to encourage consumers to shop more online. Startups also tried to solve for inspiration and fit in fashion using AI. A new startup called Doji is now entering this space with an app designed to make apparel try-ons both fun and social. It does so by creating your avatar and then serving you different looks that may inspire you to buy new clothes. So far, early adopters have been impressed by it. Only days after publicly launching on the App Store, the company is announcing a $14 million seed round led by Thrive Capital with participation from Seven Seven Six Ventures. The funding will be used to improve Doji’s AI models, the company says. An app like Doji only exists thanks to recent advancements in AI. The company uses its own diffusion models to create its personalized avatars and to make clothing try-ons more realistic. @doji_com Try it on. Try Doji. Download the app to secure your spot, or find a friend with an invite. [Link in bio] Creative direction: Gui Boucher Editing: Noel Oppliger, Khaidar Styling: Jeanette Reza Music: Jake Nadrich Thanks: Tony Wang, Gaia Del Santo, Dena Yago ♬ original sound – doji_com The startup was founded last year by Dorian Dargan and Jim Winkens — hence the name Doji (Dorian + Jim). Dargan previously worked at Apple on VisionOS and at Meta on games and experiences on Oculus Quest. Winkens was a researcher at DeepMind and also worked on a generative AI-based consumer product at Google. The duo connected on Twitter/X around 2022. After realizing a shared interest in the fashion world, they began exploring side projects to work on together. Later, when the controversial avatar creation app Lensa was released, Dargan saw how deep a connection people had with their avatars. “Lensa was doing stylized avatars with different themes,” Dargan told TechCrunch. “We saw Lensa and thought, what if we could do this for fashion, but in a photo-re...