Levelling the playing field: Cavela raises $2 million to automate product sourcing for e-commerce space

Cavela has officially launched this week and also announced a $2 million funding round led by XYZ Venture Capital, with additional support from Propel Ventures and Go Global Ventures.

For several months, the startup has been building an AI platform to connect product makers (e-commerce, boutique brands, startups) with the right supplier to manufacture physical products at the best price.

“Creating custom products is difficult, but with recent developments in AI, it doesn’t have to be,” says Anthony Sardain, CEO at Cavela.

“Large enterprises have dedicated teams to manage the complex process of product sourcing, but small and midsized businesses don’t have that luxury. We’re levelling the playing field, making it easier and more affordable for anyone to create custom products.”

Cavela says that its team is uniquely positioned to tackle these challenges, drawing on their extensive experience in both procurement and AI technology.

The core team has backgrounds at Stripe, Google, Amazon, and Disney.

They also have manufacturing and procurement expertise from Primark and DS Smith, have run e-commerce brands, and are broadly international with strong connections to supplier hubs in Asia and Latin America.

“The bottom line is that with Cavela we’re cutting production costs on our core products by 35%,” says Jordan Beaman, Founder of Western Welder Outfitting, a workwear brand. “Not only that, Cavela has also made it possible for us to quickly and easily expand our product line beyond our core offering.”

With its recent capital infusion, Cavela is set to enhance the platform's capabilities and broaden its reach to more businesses.

"It's very rare that you come across a team like this one, with a cross section of AI and specific industry experience, capable of remaking that industry - in this case, e-commerce," says Ross Fubini, Managing Partner at XYZ Venture Capital.

"Cavela is going to have a huge impact on everyday operations of brands, startups, small companies, and more. But also have a broad, global impact on how products get made and distributed around the world. It's a magnitude of change on par with the advent of Shopify."

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

AI is a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.