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Onton, spelled small as “onton”, just raised US$7.5 million to accelerate expansion of its AI-powered shopping platform beyond furniture. This funding round marks a major milestone for the startup. The capital will support growth into new categories such as apparel and electronics.
With this boost, Onton aims to redefine how customers discover and decide what to buy. The move reflects a broader shift toward AI-driven commerce.
What Is Onton, and What Changed?
From Deft to Onton: A Clearer Identity
Originally named “Deft,” the company rebranded earlier this year to “onton.” The change responded to confusion around the old name and difficulty securing a premium domain. The rebrand signals a fresh ambition, expanding beyond furniture into a full-fledged AI shopping hub.
More Than 2 Million Monthly Users: Surge in Adoption
Onton has grown rapidly. In under two years, its monthly active users jumped from 50,000 to over 2 million. This surge underlines strong consumer interest in AI-assisted shopping tools. The dramatic spike shows that many buyers are embracing AI to simplify product discovery and decision-making.
What’s Unique: Onton’s Neuro-Symbolic AI Engine
Tackling “Search Noise” with Better AI
Onton doesn’t rely solely on standard large-language-model (LLM) chat interfaces. Instead it uses a neuro-symbolic architecture, a hybrid system combining symbolic reasoning and neural networks. This approach helps the system interpret user intent more accurately and reduces common LLM problems like hallucinations.
Smarter Product Discovery: From Prompts to Room Images
Onton lets users provide a text prompt or upload an image, such as a photo of their room. The AI then recommends relevant furniture, décor or other products. It also offers an “infinite canvas,” where users can mix products and personal photos for better planning. This hybrid approach empowers users who struggle to describe what they want or just prefer visual inspiration.
Faster Decisions: Compressing the Buying Journey
The company claims its platform can compress what used to be a 79-day average purchase journey into less than one day. That dramatic acceleration cuts decision fatigue and reduces friction, a major benefit for buyers who dread endless browsing and comparison across sites.
What the $7.5M Raise Enables: Expansion & Competition
New Verticals: Apparel and Electronics on the Horizon
With fresh funding, Onton will broaden its catalog beyond home and furniture. The startup plans to launch verticals in apparel, and eventually consumer electronics. This expansion positions Onton as a more comprehensive shopping solution, not limited to home décor.
Competitive Landscape: AI Shopping Platforms Heating Up
Onton will compete with other AI-driven discovery platforms such as Perplexity AI, Daydream and Cherry. But Onton’s neuro-symbolic engine and visual-first approach may give it an edge in accuracy and user engagement. Learn more in our article on Lilly Hits $1 Trillion Valuation: What Rising Weight-Loss Drug Demand.
Why This Matters for E-Commerce and Consumers
- Reduced friction and faster decisions. By collapsing the 79-day decision window into under a day, Onton could significantly increase conversion rates.
- Better matching between intent and product. AI that interprets intent and combines visual + textual input helps users find results even when they don’t know precise product names.
- Potential for wider adoption across retail verticals. If expansion into apparel and electronics succeeds, AI-powered shopping could move mainstream.
Key Data Points
| Metric / Parameter | Value / Detail |
|---|---|
| Recent funding | US$7.5 million |
| Prior user base | ~50,000 monthly active users |
| Current user base | > 2,000,000 monthly active users |
| Claimed impact | Collapse 79-day shopping journey to under 1 day |
| Conversion uplift | 3–5× higher than traditional e-commerce (per company) |
| Planned expansion | Into apparel and consumer electronics categories |
Bottom Line
Onton has leveraged neuro-symbolic AI to turn a traditional, slow, multi-tab shopping process into a fast, intuitive, visually guided experience. The recent US$7.5 M funding gives it firepower to expand beyond furniture into apparel and electronics. For consumers, this could mean dramatically faster and more confident purchase decisions. For e-commerce businesses and retailers, Onton represents a new discovery layer one capable of boosting conversions and reducing friction. As AI-driven shopping gains traction, Onton is well-positioned to be at the front of that change.
Disclaimer:
This content is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, financial, or commercial advice.
