Marissa Mayer’s new startup Dazzle raises $8M led by Forerunner’s Kirsten Green

Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is making a bold return to the tech scene with her new startup, Dazzle, which aims to revolutionize AI personal assistants. After a challenging six-year stint with Sunshine, a photo-sharing and contact-management venture that struggled to find its footing, Mayer has decided to pivot towards this new endeavor. Dazzle has successfully raised $8 million in seed funding, achieving a valuation of $35 million. The investment round was spearheaded by Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, known for her keen eye in backing successful consumer brands like Warby Parker and Dollar Shave Club. Other notable investors include Kleiner Perkins, Greycroft, Offline Ventures, Slow Ventures, and Bling Capital. Mayer has personally invested in the startup, but emphasized Green's pivotal role in leading the funding round, reflecting Dazzle's promising potential in the emerging consumer AI landscape. Mayer has shared that the Dazzle team began developing concepts last summer, which quickly outstripped their previous work in both ambition and scope. She expressed excitement about the project's potential to create a significant impact, stating, "We realized that this was something that we were much more excited about." Previously, Mayer's venture, originally established as Lumi Labs in 2018, launched with a focus on contact management through the app "Sunshine Contacts." Despite her notable background, the product failed to gain traction amidst concerns over privacy practices and a lack of user engagement. In an effort to diversify, Sunshine expanded its offerings but continued to struggle with design and usability issues, ultimately leading to its dissolution. Reflecting on Sunshine's challenges, Mayer acknowledged that the issues they were addressing were not substantial enough to draw significant interest. Now, with Dazzle, she is determined to leverage the lessons learned from her past experiences to create a more impactful and resilient business. Before leading Yahoo, Mayer was a key figure at Google, contributing to the development of essential features like Google Search and Maps. She aspires to build a product with transformative potential once again. Dazzle is set to reveal more details in early 2024, with its website currently under wraps, signaling an exciting new chapter for Mayer and her team.