Big Sur AI

Big Sur AI, founded in 2023 by former Google executives Vinod Ramachandran (CEO) and Arnaud Weber (CTO), is a SaaS company focused on the e-commerce sector. The founders leveraged their extensive experience in building consumer and advertising products at Google, including Chrome, Android, Ads, and Google Shopping, to address the opportunity to redefine the merchant and shopper experience. Ramachandran, with over 20 years in product management, holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The company operates a commerce-first AI platform designed to democratize access to artificial intelligence for retailers and brands of all sizes. Its business model centers on providing AI-powered employees or agents that enhance sales, reduce costs, and improve team productivity for online merchants. Revenue is generated through a commission-based model, where costs are tied directly to the conversions attributed to its AI agents, offering a performance-based solution for clients. In March 2024, the company secured a significant milestone with a $6.9 million seed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Capital F and several angel investors.

Big Sur AI's core offering is a suite of specialized AI agents. The flagship product, the AI Sales Agent, provides an assisted, conversational shopping experience on merchant websites, aiming to increase conversion rates and average order sizes. This agent emulates the guidance of an in-store associate by offering personalized product recommendations and answering customer questions in real-time. The platform also includes an AI Content Marketer for generating SEO-optimized landing pages, an Adaptive AI Quiz for guided product discovery, and an AI Data Scientist to provide actionable insights on business metrics. The system is designed for simple integration, requiring users to connect their site and train the AI by uploading documents and selecting web pages. Early adopters include notable brands such as Rad Power Bikes, Wyze, and KURU Footwear, and the platform integrates with major e-commerce systems like Shopify, Magento, and Salesforce.

Keywords: e-commerce AI, AI sales agent, retail technology, conversational commerce, SaaS, customer engagement platform, online conversion optimization, personalized shopping, product discovery, AI marketing, data insights for retail, Shopify AI, Magento AI, Salesforce AI, Vinod Ramachandran, Arnaud Weber, Lightspeed Venture Partners, e-commerce automation, AI chatbot, retail analytics