Indian-origin Kaushik Mahorker to launch AI-based platform ‘Wildcard’ next week

SAN FRANSSICO:- Kaushik Mahorker, an entrepreneur of Indian origin, is launching Wildcard, an AI-powered platform that helps e-commerce brands improve their visibility on shopping assistants like Chat GPT and Gemini. The San Francisco-based startup was launched in early 2025.

Regarding Wildcard, Mahorker said, “Wildcard began as agents.json, a tool-calling protocol built through YC. Wildcard is no longer actively maintaining or working on that protocol, so treat that part as history rather than a reflection of where we are today. In November 2025, we relaunched as a completely different company focused on “agentic commerce,” helping e-commerce brands enable the discovery and purchase of their products through AI shopping assistants like Chat GPT and Gemini.”

He said, “What we are launching now is a command center for agentic commerce, which helps e-commerce brands get discovered and purchased through AI shopping assistants like Chat GPT and Gemini. It covers the entire commerce stack: AI-driven visibility and rank tracking, product data (PDP) optimization, content and PR outreach, and revenue attribution linked to actual orders. We are currently working with over 20 brands, and a major public launch is scheduled for next week.”

Wildcard describes itself as a full-stack Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) platform built specifically for e-commerce and retail brands. The platform evaluates how products appear on leading AI platforms, identifies visibility gaps, and provides recommendations and content support to help brands improve their presence in AI-generated shopping results.

Mahorker, who previously worked on e-commerce initiatives at Scale AI, said that the company’s new direction emerged after seven months of conversations with brand owners. Those discussions reflect a growing shift in consumer behavior, with an increasing number of shoppers asking AI assistants what to buy instead of relying on traditional search engines.

Based on those findings, the company concluded that success in AI shopping depends less on training AI models and more on providing them with reliable, well-structured product catalogs and high-quality support materials that AI systems can easily discover through direct searches.

The company believes that AI assistants are emerging as the new shopping interface, gradually reducing consumer reliance on traditional search engines and paid advertisements. As AI systems evolve from answering questions to researching products, comparing options, making recommendations, and completing purchases, Wildcard aims to provide the infrastructure brands need to compete in this shifting landscape.

Wildcard is preparing for the next phase of agentic commerce. With emerging standards like ACP and UCP shaping how AI agents discover products, exchange product information, and complete transactions, the company states it is building tools to help brands adapt to these new shopping experiences while strengthening its presence on today’s AI shopping platforms.