Daydream (company)
Daydream is an American fashion-technology company that operates a conversational fashion shopping platform using artificial intelligence search. Founded in California in 2023 by Julie Bornstein, Daydream launched publicly on June 25, 2025.[1][2]
History
Daydream was founded by entrepreneur Julie Bornstein following the sale of her earlier company, The Yes, to Pinterest.[3] In June 2024 Daydream announced it had raised US $50 million in seed financing co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures, with additional investment from GV, True Ventures and model Karlie Kloss.[4][5][6]
In late 2024, Maria Belousova joined Daydream as Chief Technology Officer. She previously served as Chief Technology Officer at GrubHub.[7][8]
Bloomberg News reported in May 2025 that the company employed fewer than 100 people, reflecting a wider trend among AI-focused startups to operate with lean workforces.[9][10]
Products and technology
Daydream is a chat-based interface using generative AI for natural-language and image-prompted search.[11] Sources reported more than two million products from about 8,500 brands at launch.[12]
Business model
Daydream generates revenue from a commission on purchases completed with partner retailers. It does not charge users for use of the platform. Daydream does not hold inventory, process payments or run advertising.[13][3] Company statements indicate plans to apply the same model to additional retail categories.[14]
References
- ↑ AU, FashionNetwork com (2025-06-26). "Daydream launches" (in en-AU). https://au.fashionnetwork.com/news/Daydream-launches-as-the-world-s-first-ai-fashion-shopping-agent,1743860.html.
- ↑ Mehta, Ivan (2025-06-25). "Julie Bornstein's Daydream is releasing an AI-powered chatbot for fashion-related shopping" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/25/julie-bornsteins-daydream-is-releasing-an-ai-powered-chatbot-for-fashion-related-shopping/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rey, Jason Del. "E-commerce powerhouse Julie Bornstein unveils Daydream—an AI-powered fashion shopping agent that's 25 years in the making" (in en). https://fortune.com/2025/06/25/daydream-fashion-ai-shopping-agent-marketplace-julie-bornstein/.
- ↑ Mehta, Ivan (2024-06-20). "Daydream rakes in $50M seed funding to build an AI-powered search engine suited for e-commerce" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/20/former-stitch-fix-coo-julie-bornstein-secures-50m-to-build-a-new-age-e-commerce-search-engine/.
- ↑ "How This Second-Time Founder Raised $50 Million for Her AI Startup in 2 Months" (in en). Inc.com. https://www.inc.com/mattea-vecera/how-this-second-time-founder-raised-50m-for-her-ai-startup-in-two-months.html.
- ↑ "Retail tech startup Daydream raises $50 million seed round". https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2024/06/21/daydream-retail-tech-startup-kirkland-seed-round.html.
- ↑ Garfinkle, Allie. "AI and Web3 led May's new unicorn pack" (in en). https://fortune.com/2024/06/21/six-new-unicorns-were-made-in-may-crunchbase-data-says/.
- ↑ Zwieglinska, Zofia (2024-06-20). "Fashion Briefing: The Hamptons are becoming a year-round fashion hub" (in en). https://www.glossy.co/fashion/fashion-briefing-the-hamptons-are-becoming-a-year-round-fashion-hub/.
- ↑ "'AI-Native' Startups Take Pride in Keeping Headcount Low" (in en). Bloomberg.com. 2025-05-11. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-05-11/-ai-native-startups-are-keeping-headcount-low.
- ↑ "Built to Stay Small: Inside the Org Charts of AI-Native Startups" (in en). Bloomberg.com. 2025-05-08. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-08/org-charts-of-ai-startups-are-built-to-stay-small-flexible.
- ↑ "AI Shopping Platform Daydream Launches in the US" (in en). 2025-06-25. https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/technology/ai-shopping-platform-daydream-launches-in-the-us/.
- ↑ Milnes, Hilary (2025-06-25). "Is Daydream's AI Platform the Answer to Fashion's Discovery Problem?" (in en-US). https://www.vogue.com/article/is-daydreams-ai-platform-the-answer-to-fashions-discovery-problem.
- ↑ Chin, Kimberly (2024-06-24). "Daydream aims to power e-commerce search and discovery with AI" (in en). https://www.axios.com/pro/retail-deals/2024/06/24/daydream-raises-50m-seed-ai-ecommerce-search.
- ↑ "How Female Founders Are Courting Investors in a Tough Climate" (in en). 2025-03-27. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/female-founders-vc-investors-fashion-beauty/.