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For additional information, please contact:
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Richard Luftig | Managing Partner |
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rluftig@castleplacement.com |
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(212) 418-1188 |
Overview
Wanerby is raising $15 million to scale a differentiated AI-powered local commerce platform connecting consumers with real-time retail inventory.
- AI-powered assistant enabling real-time discovery of product availability at local stores
- Over 250,000 registered stores; app live on iOS and Android
- Addressing $7T+ physical retail market with strong “near me” demand tailwinds
- 56% of daily searches exhibit local purchase intent
- Integrated platform combining AI guidance, live inventory, store chat, and routing
Problem
Lack of real-time inventory visibility in local retail leads to significant consumer friction and lost sales.
- Consumers experience wasted trips due to inaccurate or unavailable product data
- Existing platforms provide store listings, not live inventory or pricing accuracy
- U.S. retailers lose $2.4B+ annually from “ghosted” local searches
- Poor user experience reduces conversion rates and undermines trust
Opportunity
The convergence of local commerce, mobile search, and AI is creating a large and underpenetrated market opportunity.
Solution / Strategy
Wanerby bridges online product discovery with offline retail through real-time inventory verification and direct store interaction.
- AI assistant identifies nearby products with verified availability, pricing, sizes, and attributes
- Enables real-time communication between consumers and stores via live chat
- Supports seamless coordination of pickup or local delivery
- Monetization includes SaaS subscriptions, lead fees (~1%), API licensing, and delivery commissions
- Multi-channel GTM: direct onboarding, POS partnerships, delivery integrations, and field sales
Key Advantages
Wanerby delivers an integrated local commerce platform with multiple layers of differentiation.
Specific Risks
- Adoption & User Growth: slow marketplace take-up can limit network effects and revenue growth
- Competition: large incumbents (Google, Amazon, Shopify) may enter local commerce aggressively
- Store Participation & Accuracy: maintaining up-to-date inventory data and pricing is challenging
- Regulatory & Privacy: compliance with data privacy laws including GDPR, CCPA required
- Scalability & Cybersecurity: technical infrastructure must scale and guard against data breaches
- Store Retention: if stores do not see sales benefit, may churn reducing platform value
- User Trust: inaccurate listings may damage reputation and reduce consumer engagement
- Private securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk including potential loss of entire investment
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