Cavela has secured $6.6 million in seed funding as brands across the U.S. and Europe race to diversify production away from China.
The round was co-led by XYZ Venture Capital and Susa Ventures, with participation from Crossover Capital. Founded in 2023 by Anthony Sardain, the startup offers AI-powered sourcing agents that operate like a digital procurement team, helping companies identify and negotiate with manufacturers in more than 40 countries.
AI Agents Handling the Most Complex Part of Manufacturing
Sardain says brands—especially smaller ones—often stick to a single factory for years because switching suppliers is confusing, slow, and risky. The startup tackles this using generative AI capable of processing product specs, blueprints, photos, and diagrams. Once a brand uploads its details, Cavela’s agents reach out to factories through WhatsApp, email, and SMS to confirm capabilities, gather quotes, and check lead times. Instead of weeks of back-and-forth, customers log in days later to a dashboard filled with vetted options. On average, the firm claims brands save around 35% on production costs by expanding their supplier search globally.
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Helping Brands Outpace Tariffs and Inflation
Customers like Western Welder Outfitting and The Longhairs report that Cavela has helped them source goods at prices even lower than pre-tariff manufacturing costs in China. Sardain attributes Cavela’s edge to his deep experience in Asian manufacturing hubs, having lived across Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and mainland China. Competitors such as Alibaba and Pietra focus on marketplace-style sourcing, but the company positions itself as an automated agent that replicates an end-to-end sourcing department.
About Cavela
Cavela is an AI-driven sourcing platform that helps brands find global manufacturing partners, negotiate pricing, and streamline supplier communication. By combining product-level intelligence with autonomous AI agents, the firm enables companies to shorten sourcing timelines, reduce production costs, and operate resilient international supply chains.
