Doji Secures $14M to Revolutionize Virtual Try-Ons with AI Avatars

Doji, a new startup aiming to transform the online shopping experience, has raised $14 million in a seed round led by Thrive Capital, with participation from Seven Seven Six Ventures. The funding will fuel the improvement of Doji’s AI models, designed to make virtual apparel try-ons both engaging and social.

The company’s app creates personalized avatars that allow users to virtually try on different looks, providing inspiration for new clothing purchases. This approach addresses a long-standing challenge for online retailers: making virtual try-ons appealing and effective.

Early adopters have expressed enthusiasm for Doji’s innovative approach. The app, which recently launched on the App Store, leverages recent advancements in AI, utilizing its own diffusion models to create realistic avatars and enhance the virtual try-on experience.

Founded last year by Dorian Dargan (formerly of Apple’s VisionOS and Meta’s Oculus Quest) and Jim Winkens (ex-DeepMind and Google), Doji was born from a shared passion for fashion and the potential of AI. The founders connected on Twitter/X and, inspired by the popularity of avatar creation apps like Lensa, envisioned a photo-realistic approach to virtual fashion.

“Lensa was doing stylized avatars with different themes,” Dargan told TechCrunch. “We saw Lensa and thought, what if we could do this for fashion, but in a photo-realistic way?”

Thrive Capital partner Miles Grimshaw emphasized the potential of Doji’s app to revolutionize online shopping. “Going around the web to hundreds of click links to shop is laborious. Doji has an opportunity to make shopping fun as it puts me at the center of the experience. The app also has a social aspect of making me want to share different looks [with friends and family],” he added.

Currently in invite-only mode, Doji requires users to take six selfies and upload two full-body images to generate an avatar. This process takes approximately 30 minutes. Users can also select their favorite brands to personalize their in-app experience.

While some users have noted that the generated avatars can sometimes alter their appearance, Doji offers the option to retrain the avatar with a new set of images. The company aims to enhance the app’s capabilities by providing fit recommendations and streamlining the buying process within the app.

Dargan believes Doji’s unique combination of technological expertise and fashion sense sets it apart from competitors. “I think people who have explored this idea before either haven’t had the technology chops to make it good or the taste to understand what actually makes a person feel good about an image of themselves,” Dargan said. “We have invested a lot in core technology to ensure the way you perceive yourself through images is interesting and inspiring.”