Yael Vizel
Co-founder of Zeekit; former senior director of AI innovation at Walmart
Yael Vizel is the Israeli engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Zeekit, a virtual try-on company that let shoppers see clothes on a photo of themselves. After Walmart acquired Zeekit in 2021 she continued at Walmart, serving as senior director of AI innovation at Walmart Global Tech from June 2023 to September 2025.
| Role | Co-founder of Zeekit |
|---|---|
| Zeekit CEO | 2014 to 2021 |
| Walmart | Senior director of AI innovation, June 2023 to September 2025 |
| Acquired by | Walmart, 2021 |
| Education | B.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Technion |
Who is Yael Vizel?
Yael Vizel is a technology executive known for pioneering virtual try-on for fashion e-commerce. She co-founded Zeekit in Tel Aviv with Alon Kristal and led it as chief executive from 2014 until 2021. Zeekit's platform allowed users to upload their own photo and virtually try on clothing while shopping online, combining image processing, e-commerce and data analytics.
Career
Vizel studied electrical engineering at the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, between 2006 and 2010, specialising in image processing and hardware development. She worked as an airborne systems engineer at Elbit Systems, the Israeli defence electronics company, before turning her image-processing expertise to retail.
Her career milestones include:
- Co-founder and CEO of Zeekit (2014 to 2021)
- Zeekit's acquisition by Walmart in 2021, after which it became part of Walmart Global Tech
- Senior director of AI innovation at Walmart Global Tech (June 2023 to September 2025)
- A director role at the toy and entertainment company Spin Master, according to her professional profile
Zeekit raised a Series A round led by Jovono and grew to between 51 and 100 employees before the sale.
Influence on the fashion business
Fit and appearance are among the main reasons that online fashion shoppers hesitate or return products. Zeekit tackled this by showing garments on an image of the shopper rather than on a standard model. Its acquisition by Walmart, one of the world's largest retailers, was an early sign that virtual try-on was moving from start-up experiment to mass-market retail feature.
Yael Vizel and technology
Vizel's work is rooted in computer vision. Mapping a garment realistically onto a photo of a person, with different body shapes and poses, is a demanding image-processing problem. Her later role leading AI innovation at Walmart Global Tech placed her within one of the largest retail technology organisations at a time when generative AI was rapidly changing what virtual try-on and personalised imagery could do.
Why it matters
Vizel is one of the founders who turned virtual try-on from a concept into a commercial product. Today many fashion retailers and technology suppliers offer AI-powered try-on, and Zeekit's journey from Tel Aviv start-up to part of Walmart is a reference point for how this capability entered mainstream retail.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Yael Vizel?
Yael Vizel is an Israeli engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Zeekit, a virtual try-on platform acquired by Walmart in 2021. She later served as senior director of AI innovation at Walmart Global Tech until September 2025.
What was Zeekit?
Zeekit was a Tel Aviv based technology company that let shoppers upload a photo of themselves and virtually try on clothing while shopping online. Walmart acquired it and integrated it into Walmart Global Tech.