Having secured $15 million in series A funding earlier this year, BNTO, an AI-powered platform for renting, buying new, or secondhand, has debuted an AI styling agent.

The financing was led by Notable Capital, with participation from Basis Set Ventures, NEA and AI Fund. The 30-person start-up is based in New York and Los Angeles and plans to expand its warehouse footprint.

BNTO allows subscribers to select six styles to curate their own BNTO box starting at $98 each month. Inspired by the compartmentalized bento box for an individual meal, BNTO’s subscription bag is a cube-shaped, reusable, waterproof cloth bag. The aim is to avoid fast-fashion waste, conserve closet space, and reduce laundry, according to the company. With a monthly subscription, users have multiple outfit possibilities, and they can choose to purchase their favorite pieces for as much as 75 percent off.

Seventy-nine percent of Gen Z shoppers wait for products to go on sale, and only 21 percent regularly pay full price, according to a recent PwC survey. BNTO’s new AI styling agent, “Maya,” offers subscribers the option to purchase their favorite styles at dynamically priced discounts. Knowing many shoppers enjoy thrifting, and hauls (which can lead to returns), the platform is meant to offer affordability, and sustainability. From BNTO’s founder and chief executive officer Sixuan Li Pasinetti’s point of view, “The entire fashion tech stack has been built around selling, but today, there’s a massive mismatch between rigid supply and flexible demand.”

This year shoppers are expected to return $890 million worth of merchandise, accounting for 16.9 percent of retailers’ annual sales, according to a report compiled by the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, a UPS subsidiary.

Pasinetti disputed the prospect of the much talked about AI bubble, suggesting that it is “more of a boom.” She said, “The technology is still in its infancy, and while it carries both wonder and limitations, the industry is still learning how to apply it. Right now, in some cases, it’s like a hammer looking for its nails. At the end of the day, what matters is whether you’re using it to solve a real problem — and whether your business model allows you to generate proprietary data and insights in the process.”

Noting how accustomed consumers are renting, reselling and shopping, Pasinetti said the systems behind them, in terms of inventory, experience and data — are still siloed. Suggesting that legacy retailers are “effectively running de facto rental programs,” due to the return rates, he said, “We believe that by building a flexible supply system, the industry can unlock tens of billions in lost value, due to vicious discount cycles and returns.

Instead of using AI to recommend to consumers what to buy, BNTO advises whether a user should rent, buy new, or shop secondhand, and at what price point. It uses ALMA.AI, BNTO’s proprietary end-to-end fashion operating system. ALMA spans product lifecycle management, product information management, e-commerce infrastructure, and the warehouse management system. The personalized recommendations are based on a user’s mode of consumption whether that be renting or buying, as well as the location and weather, price elasticity and live inventory. The idea is that the system will present the most relevant products, at the right price, and through the most suitable access model.

Notable Capital’s managing partner Hans Tung said, “The potential of AI in retail isn’t just better product recommendation. BNTO is building two potentially transformative AI systems: the first is a consumer-facing AI that personalizes both what people wear and how they access it, meeting consumers where they are. The second is a supply chain AI that manages the operational complexity of rental, retail and resale at scale — a new consumer model called ‘omni-consumption.’”