Marissa Mayer’s startup Dazzle raises $8M led by Kirsten Green of Forerunner
Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is making a high-stakes comeback in the tech world with Dazzle, a new startup focused on building the next generation of AI personal assistants. After shuttering her previous venture, Sunshine—a photo-sharing and contact management app that failed to gain traction—Mayer is betting on the generative AI revolution to deliver the transformative product she’s long envisioned. Dazzle has already secured an $8 million seed round at a $35 million valuation, led by Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, with additional support from Kleiner Perkins, Greycroft, Offline Ventures, Slow Ventures, and Bling Capital. Mayer personally invested her own funds, but Green’s leadership in the round underscores strong investor confidence in Dazzle’s potential. Green, known for backing consumer powerhouses like Warby Parker, Chime, and Dollar Shave Club, believes consumer-facing AI is finally ready for its breakout moment after years of enterprise-focused AI dominance. Her involvement is a major credibility boost for Mayer, especially after Sunshine’s struggles. Originally launched in 2018 as Lumi Labs, Sunshine began with “Sunshine Contacts,” a subscription app that pulled home addresses from public databases to enrich user contact lists—raising serious privacy concerns. Despite raising $20 million from investors including Felicis, Norwest Venture Partners, and Unusual Ventures, the app never gained meaningful adoption. By 2024, Sunshine pivoted to include event management and “Shine,” an AI-powered photo-sharing tool. However, the updated platform suffered from outdated design and failed to attract users. Mayer admitted that Sunshine’s core problems were too “mundane” and lacked the polish and accessibility needed for mass appeal. “I don’t think we got it to the state of overall polish and accessibility that I really wanted it to be,” she said. The experience taught her valuable lessons about product-market fit and user trust. Now, Mayer is channeling those insights into Dazzle, a project the team began prototyping in summer 2023. She described it as a far more ambitious and impactful endeavor than Sunshine, with the potential to redefine how people interact with technology. Dazzle is expected to launch out of stealth mode early next year, with its website, dazzle.ai, currently password-protected. Mayer’s track record is formidable. She joined Google as employee number 20, helping shape the look and feel of Google Search, and played key roles in developing Google Maps and AdWords. Later, as Yahoo’s CEO, she oversaw a major transformation of the company during the early internet era. “I have had the rare privilege of being at two companies that really changed how people do things,” she said. “Yahoo, for many, defined the internet. Google, in terms of Search and Maps, changed everything. I really aspire to build a product that has that kind of impact again.” With Dazzle, Mayer aims to create an AI assistant that goes beyond simple automation—leveraging generative AI to deliver deeply personalized, intuitive, and transformative experiences. While details remain under wraps, the startup’s focus on consumer AI aligns with a broader industry shift toward intelligent personal tools. Her ability to combine vision, technical insight, and leadership experience positions Dazzle as one of the most anticipated new AI ventures. If successful, Dazzle could mark Mayer’s long-awaited return to the forefront of tech innovation.
