London-based Merx, an AI-driven conversational commerce platform, has raised £1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by VentureFriends, with participation from Ascension. The investment will accelerate product innovation, enhance AI-driven personalization, and expand enterprise platform integration.
Merx, founded by Pietro Cammerini and Mohamed ElShaer, helps brands engage, convert, and retain customers through AI-powered shopping experiences on messaging platforms like WhatsApp. The company targets enterprise consumer goods and retail markets, processing high volumes of interactions and facilitating thousands of purchases.
Apostolos Apostolakis, founding partner at VentureFriends, emphasized the growing challenge consumer-facing brands face in engaging their audiences effectively. He noted that WhatsApp presents a highly effective channel for both engagement and sales, expressing confidence in the Merx team’s ability to help businesses harness this opportunity.
Co-founder Pietro Cammerini highlighted that traditional email marketing and website-centric commerce are being replaced by AI-driven, hyper-personalized experiences in an AI-first world. He stated that the funding marks a pivotal step in revolutionizing conversational commerce and enabling brands to build more meaningful customer interactions.
With its latest funding, Merx is set to hire top-tier software engineers, refine its AI models, and expand its enterprise reach, positioning itself as a leader in AI-powered conversational commerce.
Featured image: Credit: Merx
