GL Ventures Backs Dealism with US$15M to Transform Conversational Sales with AI

Dealism, the AI-powered sales startup founded by former Youzan president Leo Huan, has secured US$15 million in funding to transform how businesses communicate and close deals through messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.

Dealism raises US$15M to automate conversational sales

Leo Huan, former president of Youzan, the first Chinese SaaS company to go public, announced a US$15 million funding round for his new venture, Dealism. The round was led by GL Ventures, with participation from HSG, Linear Capital, and a group of angel investors.

Huan brings experience managing sales operations that exceeded 100 billion yuan (approximately US$14.3 billion), and now aims to redefine business communication using artificial intelligence.

From chatbots to “vibe selling” agents

Dealism focuses on automating conversational sales across platforms such as WhatsApp and Instagram. Its core product is described as the world’s first “vibe selling” agent, an AI model designed to understand intent, emotion, and context within conversations.

Rather than responding to isolated messages, the system automates entire stages of negotiation.

“Technology has accelerated processes, but it hasn’t made sales more persuasive,” said Huan, CEO and founder. “Dealism is an evolution of traditional chatbots, incorporating tone analysis and emotional triggers to sustain commercially relevant conversations.”

The AI is trained using internal documents and chat histories, allowing it to replicate each company’s unique communication style.

“We offer a system that actively participates in the conversation,” Huan added.

Mexico emerges as a key expansion market

Mexico ranks as the second priority market in Dealism’s global expansion strategy.

“Our goal is to capture approximately 20% of our total user base in this region,” explained Huan.

This decision is backed by market data: roughly 75% of mobile users in Mexico can be reached via WhatsApp, and 72% prefer the app when communicating with businesses. Huan drew parallels with China’s experience during WeChat’s consolidation as the dominant commercial channel, where he observed that persuasive, human-driven sales interactions were often overlooked at scale.

Targeting SMBs, creators, and freelancers

Dealism is built for small and medium-sized businesses, creators, and freelancers who rely on conversational networks to sell their products and services. Since launching in July 2025, the Singapore-based startup, which operates with a team of 20 people, has reached nearly 10,000 registered users across Latin America and the United States.

The capital raised will be allocated toward international expansion, the development of advanced sales intelligence features, and strengthening the platform’s infrastructure to support its growing user base.