Ayna, a Bengaluru-based startup at the forefront of AI-powered product photography, today announced it has raised USD 1.5 million in a seed funding round led by Inflexor Ventures. The funding aims to expand Ayna’s AI capabilities, scale its team, and accelerate its mission to make high-quality product photography accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Ayna’s platform leverages proprietary Compound Foundational Models (CFMs) and pioneering work in diffusion models to give brands unprecedented control and realism in their product imagery. This innovative approach allows brands to create studio-quality product photoshoots at scale without the need for physical photoshoots. Among the brands already benefiting from Ayna’s technology are Reliance Retail’s Clovia, Wakefit, and WomanLikeU.
Co-founded by industry veterans and serial entrepreneurs Aastha Rajpal and Yash Bansal, Ayna empowers brands to optimize product visuals for maximum conversion by eliminating costly overhead, lengthy turnaround times, and creative limitations.
“We are excited to partner with Inflexor Ventures to further our mission of transforming product photography for leading brands,” said Aastha Rajpal, Co-founder of Ayna. “This investment will enable us to push the boundaries of generative AI and deliver unparalleled value to our customers.”
Unlike traditional methods or basic AI solutions, Ayna’s proprietary CFMs provide brands with granular control over every detail of their product images. The intuitive platform allows brands to specify exact requirements, swap elements seamlessly, and A/B test different styles to unlock optimal conversion rates.
“Ayna is pioneering the use of diffusion models within a unique Compound Foundational Model framework to create a paradigm shift in the product photography industry,” added Yash Bansal, Co-founder of Ayna. “This funding enables us to enhance our technology further, aiming to make virtual immersive and hyper-personalized shopping experiences accessible to all brands, thereby blurring the lines between online and offline shopping.”
Ayna’s team is working tirelessly to achieve this vision, collaborating with AWS and Microsoft Azure and utilizing their H100 clusters for training their CFMs. This commitment to cutting-edge technology has earned Ayna recognition as one of the Top 50 startups globally by Stability AI, and they are a part of the Stable Founder program.
“At Inflexor Ventures, we are excited to support Ayna in their mission to transform fast fashion and e-commerce through generative AI,” said Murali Krishna Gunturui, Principal at Inflexor Ventures. “Ayna’s innovative technology and impressive early achievements highlight the team’s potential to significantly enhance the online shopping experience. We are confident that Ayna will emerge as a leader in AI-driven fashion and e-commerce solutions.”
Ayna’s roadmap is centered on ambitious initiatives to democratize hyper-personalized shopping experiences through immersive virtual technologies, making this transformative innovation accessible to brands of all sizes. The company is gearing up for a strategic expansion into the US market, aiming to leverage the vast e-commerce landscape and the burgeoning demand for cutting-edge solutions. Additionally, Ayna is actively seeking strategic partnerships with multiple marketplaces, with the goal of extending its powerful AI technology to a broader spectrum of sellers, thereby enhancing the reach and impact of its offerings.