Bodega (Startup)

Bodega raised $2.5M to replace corner stores with AI-powered vending machines, generating immediate backlash for its name and mission to eliminate immigrant-owned businesses. The company pivoted after PR disaster to become Stockwell AI, then shut down anyway when the unit economics didn't work. Like an organism that attracts predators with its coloring, Bodega's branding created hostility before operations could prove viability.