Doji Secures $14M for AI-Powered Virtual Try-On Avatars
▼ Summary
– Big tech companies and startups have aimed to improve online shopping with virtual try-ons, focusing on inspiration and fit using AI.
– Doji, a new startup, offers a social and fun virtual try-on app where users create avatars to explore and shop for clothing styles.
– The company raised $14 million in seed funding to enhance its AI models, leveraging recent AI advancements for realistic avatars and try-ons.
– Founded by Dorian Dargan and Jim Winkens, Doji was inspired by the success of avatar apps like Lensa but focuses on photo-realistic fashion representation.
– The app, currently invite-only, creates detailed avatars from user photos and suggests outfits, though it doesn’t yet provide fit guidance or direct in-app purchasing.
Virtual try-on technology is taking a major leap forward with Doji, a new AI-powered platform that transforms online shopping into an engaging, personalized experience. The startup recently secured $14 million in seed funding led by Thrive Capital, with participation from Seven Seven Six Ventures, to enhance its innovative avatar-based fashion discovery app.
Doji stands out by combining AI-generated photo-realistic avatars with social sharing features, allowing users to visualize clothing items on digital versions of themselves. Unlike traditional virtual fitting rooms that rely on generic models, Doji creates custom avatars from user-submitted photos, making the experience far more personal and interactive.
The app, currently in invite-only beta, guides users through uploading six selfies and two full-body images to generate an avatar in about 30 minutes. Once created, the AI suggests outfits based on preferred brands and body type, letting shoppers scroll through different styles and mix-and-match pieces. Users can even import clothing links from external sites to see how items would look on their digital twin.
Founded by Dorian Dargan (ex-Apple, Meta) and Jim Winkens (ex-DeepMind, Google), Doji leverages advanced diffusion models to refine avatar accuracy and outfit visualization. The founders were inspired by the viral success of Lensa’s stylized avatars but saw an opportunity to apply similar tech to fashion in a more realistic way.
Early testers praise the app’s ability to make online shopping fun and social, though some note minor discrepancies in avatar proportions. Doji plans to address this by allowing retraining with new photos and eventually incorporating fit prediction—a feature currently absent from the platform.
Investors like Thrive Capital’s Miles Grimshaw highlight Doji’s potential to revolutionize e-commerce by eliminating the tedious process of browsing multiple retailers. Instead, the app places users at the center of the experience, encouraging them to share looks with friends and family.
While the startup hasn’t announced a public launch date, its app is already accessible in over 80 countries, with plans to streamline the try-on process and integrate direct purchasing. As AI continues to reshape retail, Doji’s blend of personalization, realism, and social engagement could set a new standard for virtual shopping.
(Source: TechCrunch)
