Dalet Labs Raises $7M and Launches Scene, a Buyable AI Division

Key Takeaways

1Scene, the application from Dalet Labs, offers a feed of AI-generated images leading to real products

2The app is available on iOS in the United States, by invitation only, and monetized through affiliate marketing

3Dalet Labs plans to acquire users through influencers and coupons in a competitive market

4The startup, funded with $7 million, advocates for a native graphical interface for AI

Why it matters : Dalet Labs is trying to stand out in e-commerce by focusing on visual discovery and a new approach to the AI interface.

The New York-based AI-assisted commerce startup emerges from stealth mode with Scene, a stream of generated and clickable images for purchasing real products. Funded with $7 million by Lightspeed and other investors, it aims for acquisition through influencers and affiliate marketing in an already highly competitive landscape.

Crowded Market and a Bet on Performance-Based Acquisition

The market Scene is entering already features numerous discovery and shopping applications, such as Shop on TikTok in the United States or Pinterest's visual search. Other startups, like Doji and Alta, have raised millions to offer virtual clothing try-ons through AI-generated versions of users. In the face of this competition, Dalet Labs is banking on affiliate marketing to monetize Scene, utilizing affiliate networks to earn a commission on each transaction made within the app. Scene offers a catalog of hundreds of brands and retailers, and Dalet Labs states it is in the process of forming new partnerships, without specifying the list. To attract users, the company plans to leverage influencers and social media, and is preparing a coupon campaign during the holidays, featuring discounts for new sign-ups making purchases through Scene. Omer Bar-Tal did not specify whether these discounts would be funded by Scene or by brand partners.

A Stream of AI-Generated Images to Buy Real Products

Scene is available on the Apple App Store in the United States starting Wednesday, with an invitation-only launch. The app is not yet available on Android. The scenes and people displayed are generated by AI, while the featured items come from real brands in fashion, home decor, or sports. As interactions progress, the stream adapts to the user's preferences, and the app generates scenes where people wear or use the corresponding products.

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Positioning: Complement to Creators and Critique of Chatbot Agents

Omer Bar-Tal presents Scene as a tool for those looking to shop without a specific idea in mind, more focused on purchase intent than the entertainment associated with platforms like Pinterest or TikTok. He describes Scene as a virtual "shopping mall" that allows users to browse, add items to their cart, and complete purchases. While acknowledging the rise of commerce assisted by chatbots and agents, he believes these text-based approaches overlook the discovery and enjoyment aspects inherent to shopping. According to him, Scene is complementary to influencers and does not aim to replace them, clarifying that the goal is not to produce entertainment. He did not comment on the third-party models used by Dalet Labs.

Funding, Timeline, and Recruitment to Accelerate Scene

Dalet Labs raised $7 million in a pre-seed round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from SV Angel and individual investors. Founded in 2025 by Omer Bar-Tal after leaving Runway, the startup is stepping out of discretion to present Scene. The funding operation was finalized at the end of 2025, before the product roadmap was completed. Lisa Han, investment lead at Lightspeed, highlights Bar-Tal's dual expertise in AI video research and understanding user needs. Based in New York, the team is using this funding to recruit engineers and researchers to develop the app. Omer Bar-Tal has research experience at the Weizmann Institute and is credited with an early method for editing real-world videos from text, as well as leading applied research teams and product launches.

Product Thesis: A Native Graphical Interface for AI

Dalet Labs pitches Scene within a historical perspective of interfaces: major changes in computing have been driven by interface revolutions, from terminals to graphical interfaces, then to the web and mobile, each time becoming more visual and intuitive. It argues that artificial intelligence represents the most profound change since the PC, while the dominant interface remains text-based. Dalet Labs' product thesis is that AI requires a native graphical interface. In this regard, Dalet Labs aims to decouple the user interface from model providers to integrate multiple cutting-edge models and focus its efforts on a graphical platform dedicated to media generation.