New Gen is building an AI-based commerce platform that converts a brand’s existing product catalog into structured, AI-readable data and presents it through a generative, visual answer engine hosted at a dedicated sub-domain (e.g., ai.yourbrand.com). Shoppers and AI agents alike can query the storefront in natural language and receive instant, personalized product recommendations, effectively dropping them deeper into the purchase funnel. The system preserves brands’ creative control while giving them richer behavioral data and higher-intent traffic from emerging generative-AI channels. Founded by Harvard Business School alumni Adam Behrens and Jonathan Arena, the company emerged from stealth in 2024 and is already piloting instant-checkout functionality with enterprise partners. By allowing brands to add AI capability without overhauling current sites or tech stacks, New Gen positions itself as foundational infrastructure for the coming “AI internet.” The founders argue that conversational discovery will supersede SEO-driven browsing, and brands that adopt AI-native storefronts early will capture the next wave of online shoppers. The $4.5 million seed round provides the capital required to scale the platform and onboard additional enterprise customers.

Total raised

$5M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

May 2025