Convenience retail technology industry specialist Lula Commerce closes $8 million Series A round

Lula Commerce, a provider of AI powered digital commerce technology for convenience retailers, has raised an $8 million Series A round led by SEMCAP AI, with participation from Rich Products Ventures, GO PA Fund, NZVC, UP.Partners, Green Circle Foodtech Ventures, and Outlander VC.

This brings its total capital raised to over $16 million.

Lula Commerce’s platform includes Lula Hub, which unifies third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub into a single dashboard; Lula Direct, which powers branded web and mobile ordering; and Lula Operators, a suite of 30+ AI driven tools that automate refunds, reviews, uptime, and other critical operations.

In recent months, the company has scaled to serve the likes of Circle K (franchisees), United Pacific (Rocket/Alta Stores), Jacksons Food Stores, Par Mar Stores, Clipper Petroleum, and more than 50 regional convenience chains across the US, including thousands of franchisees operating within those groups.

“Lula Commerce is an ideal example of the type of portfolio company SEMCAP AI targets for investment, leveraging AI to disrupt how businesses operate, boosting productivity, and transforming markets,” says Vince Menichelli, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, SEMCAP AI.

“With nearly 50% of Americans visiting convenience stores each day, this is a category ripe for digitisation on almost every front. We’re proud to partner with the incredible management team at Lula to work to transform this industry and accelerate their growth.” 

"It’s an incredible privilege to build mission critical technology for some of the most iconic and forward-thinking retail brands in the country. As consumer expectations shift and digital continues to reshape retail, we’re committed to being the backbone that powers this transformation,” comments Adit Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO at Lula Commerce.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH proudly presents the first edition of its AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.

This is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.