Xillions (Techstars 2025) is a startup redefining the relationship between brands and consumers through the power of generative AI. By providing tools that allow fans and internal teams to create on-brand, IP-protected content, Xillions helps companies turn consumer engagement into actionable data.

Emilie Vallauri, Global Program Manager at Techstars, sat down with Michelle Reeves, CEO and three-time founder, to discuss how Xillions is moving the needle for retailers to turn the "guessing game" to a "knowing game" in the world of e-commerce and brand loyalty.

Emilie Vallauri: To kick things off, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about how you became a founder?

Michelle Reeves: My history has always been at the center of connecting brands and their consumers. Way back, I worked for a global sports and entertainment agency representing talent like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. I spent a lot of time educating agents on the commercial value of new technologies like Facebook.

I’ve always looked at innovation through the lens of: what can it actually do to drive real value? I’ve worked through e-commerce, blockchain, and crypto, helping Fortune 500s understand how to connect with the modern consumer. I’m a builder at heart—I live, breathe, and build.

Emilie: Who are the other members of your founding team, and how did you meet?

Michelle: From day one, I felt strongly about creating a powerful team. I spent six months sliding into the DMs of people I thought were true innovators.

That’s how I met Kayleigh Stone Farmer, our Head of AI. She was doing extraordinary things in fashion and product design AI. Micah Lyle, a Regents Scholar, UC Berkeley robotics and math prodigy, also joined us from day one. Later, in July of last year, Simon Hicks joined to lead Sales and Partnerships.

Emilie: How did the idea for Xillions start? What problem were you solving?

Michelle: I noticed a massive signal: Gen Z spends about 58 billion hours a year creating digital products like AR filters and gaming skins, often misusing brand IP in the process. Brands saw this loyalty but couldn't touch it or derive revenue from it.

We set out to solve the engagement problem, but it quickly became about data. In e-commerce, brands often guess what will sell, and they get it wrong, leading to billions in unsold goods. Xillions provides a "create bar" instead of just a search bar. On the front end, it’s a creative tool; on the back end, it’s a data engine that gives brands preferential data on what people actually want to see manufactured.

Emilie: You’ve signed very different logos — Disney, KPMG, and Gucci. How are these different verticals using the product?

Michelle: We have two products. The first is a co-creation tool for external communities. For example, Disney fans created sneakers inspired by Inside Out characters. Disney used that engagement to unlock perks for users and inform future product lines.

The second is an internal tool for product and marketing teams. We have a CPG customer in the US using it to rapidly prototype designs — like backpacks — that they can then co-create in real-time with buyers from retailers like Walmart and Target.

With KPMG, they used it for an on-site activation at SXSW Sydney to have people imagine the future of their workspace. It acted like a real-time focus group to inform their research white papers.

Emilie: What sets Xillions apart from competitors?

Michelle: Most of what we are doing is replacing traditional, slower means like Illustrator + Adobe Firefly + email with a custom-trained version that is faster and ensures logos and brand guidelines are met perfectly and all stakeholders have complete transparency as products are created. There aren't many co-creation tools that live natively on a brand's own website the way ours does and connect all verticals of business teams from marketing to product design and factory floor

Emilie: What is your proudest recent milestone?

Michelle: We’ve been piloting a new feature with a major CPG company for four months. It’s gone so well that we are looking at rolling it out to all 23 of their other brands. Also, we recently had a fund preempt our formal fundraising round. We closed that preemptive round at the end of January 2026, which included some incredible strategic angel investors from the US and APAC.

Emilie: As a three-time founder, what advice would you give to aspiring founders who are just starting out? 

Michelle: I believe that a mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions. Once you have that "fume" of an idea, you can't unthink it. Use that as your motivation every day. But also, get ready to change it — what you start building is rarely what you end up building.

Emilie: Finally, you are a two-time Techstars founder. Why did you choose to participate again?

Michelle: The first time, in Boulder in 2020, Techstars literally saved our businesses when the world went remote. For Xillions, being based in Australia, I wanted to plug into the ecosystem of mentors and investors here as well as globally. Techstars is world-class, and the experience is so curated. It’s a game-changer not just for the three months you’re in the program, but for years afterward.

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