OpenAI Hackathon Winner ‘Waddle Labs’ Enters US Market with ‘Gentoo’: driving 60% revenue growth for companies

• With ‘User Clone Simulations’ technology, Gentoo simulates user behavior to diagnose and fix growth blockers automatically

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Waddle Labs, an AI technology company, today announced its official entry into the US market with the launch of Gentoo, an autonomous AI Growth Agent. Gentoo identifies unrecognized growth blockers on e-commerce sites and executes improvements, effectively acting as a hands-on growth partner for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Gentoo solves this by deploying Digital Clones of real users—AI agents that simulate thousands of potential user journeys to audit the shopping experience. Unlike traditional analytics tools that merely report data, Gentoo actively reasons through user friction points, from confusing UI to vague product descriptions, and autonomously suggests and implements fixes.

Gentoo’s core engine is built upon Waddle Labs’s ‘Oracle of Delphi for Online Stores’, a project that secured a win at the OpenAI Hackathon. The technology analyzes users’ contexts and intent to detect actual growth blockers that go unnoticed by traditional analytics tools.

Proven Impact on Revenue 

Prior to its US launch, Gentoo’s capabilities were validated through rigorous beta testing with online retailers, delivering measurable business outcomes:

• Achieved a 36% increase in monthly online revenue and a 30% rise in order volume
• Recorded 60% growth in quarterly online revenue
• Saw quarterly order volume surge by 70% and revenue grow by 50%

Leadership Team and Expansion Plans

Waddle Labs is led by Co-founders Jihyuk Park and Yongwon Cho, both KAIST graduates and honorees of ‘Forbes Asia 30 Under 30’. The company has focused on bridging the gap between complex AI technology and practical business applications.

“Our vision is to build an AI agent–native e-commerce platform that maximizes both merchant and customer experience.” said Yongwon Cho, CEO of Waddle Labs. “Running an online store involves hundreds of micro-decisions daily. Gentoo isn’t just a tool; it’s a tireless ‘Hands-on Growth Partner’ that works 24/7 to drive scalable growth. With our US launch, we are bringing this growth capability to every merchant.”

Global Expansion Strategy

Waddle Labs has already secured 15 early adopters among brands operating both online and brick-and-mortar stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles. After validating its impact through direct on-site interviews with over 300 local merchants, the company is now poised to scale across the United States. Furthermore, Waddle Labs is improving our AI models using insights from both simulations and real-world performance metrics generated by Gentoo.

About Waddle Labs 

Founded in 2019, Waddle Labs is an AI technology company dedicated to innovating the digital shopping experience. Having raised $2 million in cumulative funding from major investors such as Kakao Ventures, Fast Ventures, and Bon Angels, the company received global recognition for its technical prowess by winning the OpenAI Hackathon. Waddle Labs continues to push the boundaries of AI, evolving from simple automation to autonomous end-to-end agents.

For more information, visit https://en.gentooai.com/

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SOURCE Waddle Labs