Ugly Talk: Selling in the World Run by Algorithms

Selling isn’t just about persuading customers anymore. It’s about being chosen by algorithms.

As AI agents and recommendation systems increasingly control discovery and comparison, traditional levers like PDPs, SEO, and paid media are being reinterpreted or bypassed. Some founders are adapting to AI-native shopping and algorithmic rankings. Others are realizing they trained the systems that quietly buried their products.

This Ugly Talk cuts through the noise to explore what actually drives visibility and sales in an LLM-first world and how to stay relevant when machines increasingly decide what buyers even get to see.

🎯 Why You Should Attend

• Learn from real wins and missteps. Hear firsthand from founders experimenting with AI-driven commerce and what worked, what failed, and what surprised them.
• Avoid repeating expensive mistakes. Learn which AI optimizations backfired and why some experiments quietly hurt growth
• Get practical approaches you can use now. Concrete tactics for adapting PDPs, catalogs, and go-to-market strategies in algorithm- and agent-led environments.
• Gain clarity on where to focus. Understand which channels still matter (SEO, paid, marketplaces) and which are being deprioritized as AI interfaces take over discovery.
• Set realistic expectations for algorithmic selling. Learn how to measure impact, avoid over-optimizing too early, and recognize when AI is helping or quietly hurting your growth.

🙋 Who You’ll Meet

• Founders and operators selling physical or digital products
• E-commerce, consumer, and marketplace builders navigating new discovery channels
• Growth, marketing, and product leaders adapting to AI-driven buying behavior
• Builders testing ChatGPT, TikTok Shop, and other emerging AI-native commerce paths

🎤 Who’s on the Panel

Yiqi Wu - Founder & CEO of Aimerce

Yiqi is the founder of Aimerce, a first-party data intelligence app for Shopify brands, designed to address today's data tracking challenges. Before launching Aimerce, she spent a decade as an engineering lead at Meta and Reddit, where she helped create Instagram Stories and Direct Messaging.

Nihar Kulkarni - Managing Director at Roswell NYC

Perfecting the art of the pivot, Nihar Kulkarni transitioned from a long career in the music industry (spanning 13 years working at labels such as Bad Boy Records and Republic Records) to the tech industry at Roswell NYC.

Ten years ago, he transitioned into the eCommerce world, harnessing his strategic thinking as he applied his managerial, business development, and operational expertise to grow the firm from 4 original partners to a team of over 40 worldwide today.

Roswell NYC is a full-service 360-degree eCommerce agency and is currently the agency of record for 70+ merchants, a Shopify Platinum Partner, a Klaviyo Platinum Partner, and Attentive Signature Partner - with three core divisions: Creative, Engineering, Growth. Combined together, Roswell lives up to our motto - “We’re in the business of building businesses.”

Frank Pacheco - Amazon Guru at Nearly Natural

Frank has been an Amazon insider since Day One. Led go-to-market strategy at Kindle, launched 20+ brands for Amazon Accelerator. Drove strategy for Stanley Black & Decker, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein. Built brands with Steve Harvey and Dr. Kellyann. Now scaling Nearly Natural. Harvard, Columbia. He doesn't follow best practices—he writes them.

Moderator:

Manish Chowdhary - Founder & CEO of Cahoot

Manish Chowdhary is the Founder & CEO of Cahoot, the most comprehensive post-purchase logistics platform for ecommerce brands. We help merchants scale profitably with a bundled suite of services that includes:

- Fast, cost-effective fulfillment (1-day and 2-day nationwide coverage)

- AI-powered multi-warehouse shipping software that selects the cheapest label automatically

- An industry-first peer-to-peer returns solution that eliminates return shipping and restocking costs

With over 100 warehouses and advanced shipping automation, we help brands maintain control, boost speed, and cut logistics costs without the overhead of traditional 3PLs. I’m passionate about helping ecommerce businesses grow smarter. If you’re looking to improve your margins, delight customers, and future-proof your logistics, let’s connect.

My work has been recognized with multiple industry accolades, most recently winning the SaaStock USA Global Pitch Competition 2024. I’m passionate about using technology and collaboration to push the boundaries of ecommerce and logistics and create new opportunities for merchants worldwide.

💬 What We’ll Talk About

• Selling in an AI-mediated funnel
• How discovery, comparison, and conversion change when AI agents influence buying decisions.
• PDPs, catalogs, and machine-readable truth
• What’s changed in how founders structure product pages, metadata, and catalogs for AI interpretation.
• Customers coming from AI interfaces
• Early signals from ChatGPT, TikTok Shop, and other AI-driven entry points—and what those customers do differently.
• Optimizing for algorithms, too early or too late?
• When it makes sense to invest in AI-channel optimization, and when it’s wasted effort.
• Brand vs. the bot
• How to maintain differentiation, trust, and positioning when AI flattens messaging into comparisons.
• What founders would do differently
• Hard-earned lessons from experiments that helped—and those that trained the algorithm against them.

🤝 Co-hosted With

Cahoot - Cahoot is not just another post-purchase platform—we’re a movement. One built on peer-to-peer power, AI precision, and profit-first thinking. You don’t need more tools. You need control.

🤝 Supported By

GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).

🤝 Venue Partner

Nomadworks - We are dedicated to providing innovative solutions that empower our members and drive success. Nomadworks is a hub for innovation, incubating companies new and tenured across New York City. Our commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and flexibility sets us apart in the industry.

Get up to 2 months free for Nomadworks

[Claim here]

⭐ About Ugly Talk:

Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.

With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.

Official Website: UglyTalk.com

🎥 Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:

2025 Year Recap