Doji, co-founded by Dorian Dargan and Jim Winkens in 2024, stands at the new frontier of AI-driven inventory management and virtual try-on experiences. This fashion-tech startup has quickly emerged as a category leader in personalized, avatar-powered shopping platforms, blending artificial intelligence with a fun, community-centric approach to style for global fashion consumers and retailers. With its $14 million seed funding round led by Thrive Capital and Seven Seven Six (Alexis Ohanian), Doji is poised to transform the way people engage with fashion online, powering everything from individual shopping to scalable inventory management solutions for brands and digital storefronts.
How Doji Works: AI at the Core of Personalization and Inventory
Doji’s core product lets users upload selfies and full-length images, generating a photorealistic AI-powered avatar. Shoppers can explore curated looks from leading designer brands (including Maison Margiela and Rick Owens), try outfits virtually, or even import external products via shoppable links—testing real-life fit and style from home.
Behind the scenes, Doji integrates advanced AI inventory management: fashion brands and retailers can sync real-time stock with the virtual platform, ensuring only in-stock, shoppable pieces are suggested to users. For every try-on, Doji’s machine learning algorithms recommend alternatives from live inventory if an item is low or out of stock, dynamically balancing demand and optimizing sell-through rates.
In the words of founder Dorian Dargan:
“At Doji we’re building the most personal way to shop for fashion online. Create your photorealistic AI likeness and try on real clothes. Doji is designed to encourage play – helping you feel confident, explore new looks, and find pieces you’ll love”.
Ownership and Funding
Doji’s leadership brings deep expertise in consumer AI: Dargan previously worked at Apple (VisionOS) and Meta (Oculus Quest experiences), while Winkens has generative AI and consumer product roots at Google and DeepMind. The $14M funding—secured within days of the platform’s App Store launch—will build up the startup’s engineering, UX, and product teams and drive improvements to avatar realism and the underlying inventory algorithms.
Investors see Doji as a pioneer in AI-driven e-commerce. As Thrive Capital’s Miles Grimshaw told TechCrunch:
“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 that makes me want to share different looks [with friends and family]”.
Key Benefits and Features
- Personalized Virtual Try-On: Immersive, AI-generated avatars enable users to “try on” clothes from curated and imported collections.
- Real-Time Inventory Optimization: Direct integration with brands’ inventory systems eliminates out-of-stock disappointments and maximizes sales per visit.
- User-Generated Content: Fashion fans can combine store items with their own images and create shoppable looks to share within the Doji community or externally.
- Democratization of Style: The platform gives non-traditional shoppers—across sizes, genders, and backgrounds—access to premium fashion experiences, all backed by AI-driven curation and fit prediction.
Brand Applications and Market Position
Retailers leverage Doji’s SaaS APIs to keep inventories up to date on the virtual try-on platform, boost product discovery, and better forecast demand. Integration with in-house logistics and CRM tools gives brands analytics on try-on popularity, influencer engagement, and conversion rates in real time.
Future Outlook
Now live in over 80 countries (invite-only as of 2025), Doji plans to release new features for fit accuracy, instant e-commerce purchasing, and more robust mobile AR try-ons. As AI transforms the inventory and e-commerce stack, Doji’s model of community-first, playful personal shopping is redefining what’s possible for both brands and shoppers in a connected, digital retail world.
