Two Sisters Are Reinventing Social Commerce with AI

“Social isn’t just a channel anymore. It is the entire customer journey.”

The social media landscape has evolved far beyond simple posting and sharing. Today, platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become sophisticated shopping destinations where purchase decisions happen in real-time through comments, DMs, and story interactions. Yet most brands are still operating with outdated tools, missing these crucial conversion moments entirely.

Nectar Social, a Seattle-based startup that just emerged from stealth with $10.6 million in funding co-led by True Ventures and GV (Google Ventures). What makes this story particularly compelling isn’t just the impressive funding round, but the unique perspective of its founders: sisters Misbah and Farah Uraizee who witnessed the social commerce gap firsthand during their time at Meta.

The Inside View from Meta

Drawing on their unique experience, the Uraizee sisters shared insights with Fortune about their latest endeavor. Misbah was a product leader at Meta working across Facebook & Instagram Feed & Stories, Messaging, and more, while Farah was building out products on the Facebook Community and Groups side. Their combined experience gave them a unique vantage point on how social platforms were evolving into commerce engines.

They developed these products to increase user time within Meta’s environment. However, they soon found that these products were merely temporary solutions. This realization stemmed from observing the gap between social interaction and how brands actually attribute revenue.

This firsthand experience led to a critical insight: while social platforms were becoming shopping destinations, brands lacked the infrastructure to capitalize on these micro-moments of purchase intent scattered across comments, DMs, and story replies.

The Patent Portfolio 

Misbah’s credentials extend beyond her Meta experience. She holds over 10 patents and has been featured in major publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, and Women’s Wear Daily. This isn’t just another social media management tool, it’s technology built by someone who understands both the technical complexity and business implications of social commerce at scale.

Timing the $3 Trillion Wave

The timing of Nectar Social’s emergence couldn’t be more strategic. Social commerce is projected to reach $3 trillion globally by 2026, driven by platforms becoming discovery engines rather than just communication tools. The statistic that 25% of users search within the first 30 seconds of opening social platforms reveals a fundamental shift in consumer behavior that most brands are still struggling to address.

Beyond the Buzzwords

What sets Nectar Social apart from the crowded social media management space is their focus on measurable outcomes rather than vanity metrics. Early customers are reporting AI assistance rates exceeding 85%, freeing up teams for strategic work while generating attributable revenue from organic social interactions. The platform is collecting tens of thousands of first-party data points automatically, a crucial capability as third-party cookies disappear and privacy regulations tighten.

The customer roster includes notable direct-to-consumer brands like Jones Road Beauty, OLIPOP, and Solawave companies that have built their success on authentic community engagement rather than traditional advertising.

The Sister Advantage

The fact that this is a sister-founded company adds another layer of authenticity to their mission. In an industry often dominated by male entrepreneurs promising to revolutionize commerce, the Uraizees bring a different perspective, one rooted in actual community building and authentic engagement rather than growth hacking.

Their vision extends beyond just social media management. “A book that I’ll write one day is going to be called ‘Manufacturing Virality,'” said Misbah Uraizee to Fortune, suggesting they see patterns in viral content that can be systematized and replicated.

The Investor Perspective

The funding round included participation from Trust Fund by Sophia Amoruso, BAM Ventures, Mercury Fund, Charge Ventures, Flying Fish Ventures, XRC Ventures and FAB Ventures alongside the lead investors. This diverse investor base suggests validation from multiple angles from traditional VCs to operators who understand the direct-to-consumer landscape.

The involvement of GV (Google Ventures) is particularly significant, given Google’s deep understanding of search behavior and commerce attribution. Their investment signals recognition that social commerce represents a fundamental shift in how consumers discover and purchase products.

The Authentic Engagement Challenge

As one industry observer noted, younger shoppers “want something akin to the mall culture that I grew up with, roaming stores with friends and engaging with sales clerks”. This desire for authentic interaction in an increasingly digital world creates both opportunity and challenge for brands.

The key insight driving Nectar Social is that authentic engagement can’t be automated away, but it can be intelligently augmented. Their AI acts as what they call a “strategic teammate” rather than a replacement for human connection.

Looking Ahead

With social platforms becoming the primary discovery mechanism for an entire generation of consumers, the companies that figure out how to bridge social engagement with revenue attribution will have a massive advantage. Nectar Social’s emergence from stealth with substantial backing suggests the market is ready for a new approach to social commerce, one that treats social not as a channel, but as the entire customer journey.

The real test will be whether they can scale their approach beyond their current customer base while maintaining the authentic engagement that makes their platform valuable. But with their Meta experience, strong funding, and early customer traction, the Uraizee sisters appear well-positioned to capitalize on the shift toward social-first commerce.