The annual research list recognizes the innovative tech start-ups that are driving the future of brand-to-consumer. 

(BOSTON, MA, May 9, 2023) — The Lead has announced The Leading 100 of 2023, the highly anticipated annual research list recognizing the innovative tech start-ups driving the future of brand-to-consumer, which includes Boston-based Vizit. Companies from across the value chain – including marketing, ecommerce, customer experience, stores, data, AI, last mile and third-party logistics, checkouts and payments, sustainability, merchandising, ERP and Web3 – were nominated and considered. 

The Leading 100 List recognizes high impact technology start-ups that are transforming the direct-to-consumer business model and driving business value for brands as well as retailers. These young companies (predominantly in their seed or series A) are solving business problems, powering growth, and helping brands deliver on customer expectations through innovative, accessible, and powerful technology solutions. It is The Lead’s belief that this group collectively signals the future of the industry. 

Vizit’s groundbreaking technology harnesses the organic interactions millions of consumers have with online commercial imagery to generate new AI-powered models of their visual preferences. These models—called Vizit Audience Lenses—give brands the ability to evaluate visual content and new concepts “through the eyes” of their target audiences in real time, ensuring the images used to represent their products are effective at capturing their desired audience’s attention, and are able to trigger conversion.

All companies were vetted and selected using a rigorous methodology. Using a combination of company interviews, nomination forms, and company data, the selection committee, led by The Lead’s Chief Content Officer, Sonal Gandhi, conducted an in-depth analysis. 

According to Sonal, “The Leading 100 List of 2023 represents two major themes in technology advancement: 1) helping brands be more efficient, productive and profitable across the value chain (for example through data and generative AI) and 2) adding capabilities to reach consumers in new ways (Web3, Live Streaming, etc.) or deliver a new value proposition they are asking for (sustainability).”

The Leading 100 List of 2023 is presented in partnership with RILA, NYFTL, XRC Ventures, Plug & Play, The Robin Report and SUBTA. The Selection Committee includes: Pano Anthos, Founder & Managing Director,  XRC Ventures, Jackie Trebilcock, Managing Director, New York Fashion Tech Lab, Nicholas Ahrens, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation & Content, RILA, Nick Reasner, Director, Innovation & Customer Experience, Simon Property Group, Chip Korn, Partner & Co-chair, Emerging Company & Venture Capital Practice Group, Foley Hoag, Ken Pilot, Founder, Ken Pilot Ventures, Will Decker, Head of Brand & Retail, Plug & Play Tech Center, Christine Russo, Principal, RCC Agency, Tom Barbaro, Co-Founder, Cogent, Juan Mejia, Managing Director, BrightTower, Ian McGarrigle, Chairman, World Retail Congress, and Robin Lewis, Founder & CEO, The Robin Report.

The process included a detailed look at each company’s business with a decision-making criterion based on Innovation, Business Impact, Commercialization & Customers, Teams and Experience, Competition, Media Buzz, and Investor Value Creation. 

The Leading 100 will be honored at The Lead Innovation Summit on July 12 and 13, the flagship event where the entire fashion, beauty, CPG, and retail innovation community will converge to engage the future of the direct-to-consumer business model. The annual event will bring together executives from brands and retailers, challenger DTC brands, innovative unicorns, and start-ups, enterprise technology, investors, deal makers, analysts, and stakeholders that comprise The Lead’s network.

The Leading 100 List of 2023      

Accrue Savings
Adentro
Alloy Automation
Anvyl
Archive Resale
Archive.com
Breinify
Browzwear
buywith
Canal
Carro
Catch
Checkmate
Chord
Cogsy
Constructor.io
Crossing Minds
Curated for You
Cymbio
Daasity
DataMilk
Disco
Drop
EcoCart
EON
Factored Quality
Fairing
Feel
Fermat
Fillogic
FIT:MATCH
FlagshipRTL
FloorFound
Floship
Fondue
Fuse Inventory
Hang.xyz
Haus Analytics
Hexa 3D
Howl Technologies
Humankind
Intelligems
Kahoona
KERV
Kevel
Leap
Lexer
Lily AI
Link Money
LiquiDonate 
Loop 
Maropost
MasonHub
Measured
Northbeam
Nostra.ai
Novel
Obsess
Okendo
Osa Commerce
Outerspace
Pairzon
Pandion
Pathr.ai
Pipe 17
Postscript
Quorso
Radar
Rebuy
Recurate
ReFundid
Retention.com
RevLifter
Revuze
Rutter
Seek.AI
Shoppinggives
Skipify
Smartrr
SoundCommerce
Sparkplug
Storyblok
SuperCircle
Superfiliate
Syrup Tech
Tapcart
Thankful.Ai
Toki
Toolio
Tracer
Treat.xyz
Triple Whale
Try your best
TryNow
Vizit
Vntana
Vyrill
Wizard
Yogi
ZMO.AI