AI Meets Handicraft: Local Marketplace Gamechanger - LocalBy
Our conversation with the Co-founder and CEO of LocalBy - Jackie Bernhelm
💡 LocalBy in a Nutshell:
Co-Founder and CEO: Jackie Bernhelm (ex-Director, Google Area 120)
Technical Co-founder: Aaron Wheeler (ex-UX Lead, Google Area 120)
Funding: Early Stage VC-backed (Moth Fund, 2024)
Funded in: 2022
Website: LocalBy.co
LocalBy is transforming how we discover and buy unique, handmade goods directly from local makers. Using cutting-edge technology like LLMs, generative media, and image recognition, LocalBy optimizes the local shopping experience.
"I want a world where people make beautiful things”
💃 From Tech Leader to Local Hero
Startup product manager, growth equity investor, and head of Google's internal incubator – Jackie's career has spanned many roles. In her own words, she exemplifies what Steve Jobs said at her Stanford commencement: Connect the dots.
Her latest venture reconnects her with her teenage years in the handmade goods industry. Jackie grew up altering and selling vintage clothing, a passion that has come full circle.
💍 A Trillion-Dollar Market of Individual Makers
Today, behind Jackie’s teenage entrepreneurship is a huge market. She discovered that the global handicraft industry is nearly $1 trillion, with 300 million makers worldwide. She further noted that 17 million solopreneur artisans contribute to this market in the US alone.
Despite the size of this market, it’s still difficult to find any local treasures. The idea for LocalBy came to Jackie when she struggled to find a local woodworker in San Francisco, a city with over 10,000 artisans.
Many popular business models do not favor the long tail of individual makers, even though technology and platforms like eBay and Esty put the world's crafts within clicks of the Internet.
“Clicks away” sounds easy, but it underestimates the cost to the user experience of shipping items from one end of the world to the other.
🎒 From “Clicks Away” to “Steps Away” with AI
LocalBy bridges this gap, making it as easy to buy locally as from major online stores. Jackie's goal is a world where artisans thrive, and their beautiful creations are not only ‘steps away’ but also ‘clicks away.’
The platform uses AI to solve a common shopping problem: high intent to buy with low specificity. Their AI-driven fuzzy search personalizes your shopping experience, helping you find the perfect, unique gift. This innovation benefits shoppers and helps local artisans reach a wider audience.
⏭️ Looking Ahead - “Google Map“ for Local Handmade Goods
In five years, Jackie envisions LocalBy becoming a global platform, seamlessly connecting buyers with local artisans no matter where they are.
“Having beauty in our lives is what makes us human,” Jackie says. She aims to make LocalBy the platform that helps people discover beauty, rather than settling for throwaway items.
More importantly, LocalBy helps people find locally-made, handmade items as easily as they find local restaurants.