Lula Commerce, a leader in AI-powered e-commerce solutions for convenience retailers, announced it has raised $8 million in Series A funding led by SEMCAP AI, with participation from Rich Products Ventures, GO PA Fund, NZVC, and UP.Partners, Green Circle Foodtech Ventures, and Outlander VC. The new capital brings Lula’s total funding to over $16 million, positioning the company to meet growing digital demand across the $1 trillion U.S. convenience retail market.
Lula Commerce has quickly become the digital backbone for more than 2,000 convenience retailers nationwide, helping operators unlock online ordering, delivery, and automation capabilities typically reserved for global retail giants. With over 155,000 convenience stores serving more than 160 million visitors daily, the sector remains one of the few major retail verticals still under-digitized. Fewer than 10% of stores currently offer modern online services, leaving billions in untapped revenue potential. Lula’s AI-powered platform directly addresses this gap by enabling independent retailers and multi-unit operators to modernize quickly and cost-effectively.
The Lula platform acts as a comprehensive operating system for retail, unifying digital operations through three core components. Lula Hub consolidates third-party delivery services such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub into a single dashboard. Lula Direct powers branded mobile and web ordering for retailers. And Lula Operators automates key operational functions, ranging from refunds and reviews to uptime and inventory management, through a suite of over 30 AI-driven tools.
This holistic approach allows convenience stores to deliver enterprise-grade customer experiences without the cost or complexity of in-house development. Lula’s recent growth includes partnerships with prominent industry names such as Circle K (franchisees), United Pacific (Rocket/Alta Stores), Jacksons Food Stores, Par Mar Stores, Clipper Petroleum, and more than 50 regional convenience chains across the U.S.
With the new funding, Lula plans to expand its team across engineering, sales, product, and customer success to support growing demand. The company’s careers portal, careers.lulacommerce.com, invites applicants passionate about driving innovation at the intersection of technology and retail.
KEY QUOTES:
“Lula Commerce is an ideal example of the type of portfolio company SEMCAP AI targets for investment, leveraging AI to disrupt how businesses operate, boosting productivity, and transforming markets. With nearly 50% of Americans visiting convenience stores each day, this is a category ripe for digitization on almost every front. We’re proud to partner with the incredible management team at Lula to work to transform this industry and accelerate their growth.”
Vince Menichelli, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, SEMCAP AI
“It’s an incredible privilege to build mission-critical technology for some of the most iconic and forward-thinking retail brands in the country. As consumer expectations shift and digital continues to reshape retail, we’re committed to being the backbone that powers this transformation.”
Adit Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Lula Commerce
