Twiggle

About Twiggle

Founded in Tel Aviv in 2013 by two former Google employees, Dr. Amir Konigsberg and Dr. Adi Avidor, Twiggle sought to enhance the e-commerce landscape. The founders leveraged their background, with Dr. Konigsberg holding a PhD in Rationality and Interactive Decision Making and having held leadership roles at Google and General Motors, to address a perceived gap in online retail search capabilities. The company operated by providing a search enhancement API that integrated with a retailer's existing framework, rather than replacing their entire search engine.

Twiggle's core technology utilized natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to better interpret a shopper's intent from their search queries. The objective was to move beyond simple keyword matching to a more semantic understanding, akin to the nuanced comprehension of an experienced in-store salesperson. This was designed to improve the relevance of search results, leading to higher click-through rates and sales conversions for their clients. The company's initial focus was on large e-commerce retailers in the fashion, home, and electronics sectors.

The business model was centered on providing this technology as a service to online retailers. Throughout its operation, Twiggle secured significant financial backing, raising a total of $33 million over four funding rounds. Notable investors included Naspers, Alibaba Group, Yahoo! Japan, State of Mind Ventures, MizMaa Ventures, and Korea Investment Partners. Key funding milestones included a $12.5 million Series A round in April 2016 and a $15 million Series B round in May 2017. Despite its promising technology and substantial funding, the company eventually ceased operations, with its status listed as out of business by April 2020.