Ex-Spotify engineers raise $10M to bring its recommendation AI to e-commerce

Three engineers who built the behavioral intelligence system powering about 90% of Spotify's recommendations to 800 million users raised $10 million in seed funding for Malachyte, applying the same approach to online retail. Their Vector AI predicts intent and next actions rather than extrapolating from past behavior. The pitch targets a specific failure: first-time visitors see generic storefronts, and returning shoppers get recommendations based on old purchases rather than current need. "A search for 'heavy-duty boot' followed by two clicks on steel-toed boots is enough to move work pants and gloves up the page and push dress shoes down, with no account or history required," the CEO said.

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