CSC Generation

What CSC Generation does

CSC Generation is a private, AI-native retail holding company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana. The company acquires established consumer and retail brands in transition — primarily North American businesses with ≥$30 million in revenue — and rebuilds them on its proprietary Genesis operating system. Founder, Chairman, and CEO Justin Yoshimura leads the company, supported by President of Digital Operations Gary Pak and an employee base of 1,001–5,000 across offices in Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, Toronto, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Indiana.

The core technology is Genesis, an agent-orchestrated retail infrastructure platform composed of four proprietary modules: the Data Management Platform (DMP), which ingests, normalizes, and secures data across brands without replatforming; the Data Intelligence Platform (DIP), which auto-engineers features, tests models, and generates decision-ready insights; the Retail Agent Harness, an agent-loop architecture (Plan, Act, Observe) that hillclimbs inventory, pricing, promotion, and margin decisions using reward functions; and Copilot AI, which powers centralized customer experience with AI-generated replies. CSC claims these systems lift EBITDA by 800 basis points in the first 12 months after acquisition. The platform powers a portfolio of 13 brands — including Backcountry, Sur La Table, One Kings Lane, MotoSport, Competitive Cyclist, Seattle Coffee Gear, and Steep & Cheap — collectively generating more than $1 billion in revenue across outdoor, cycling, home, kitchenware, motorcycle, and sporting goods verticals.

CSC Generation makes money as a retailer-operator rather than a software vendor: it acquires consumer brands and sells goods directly to end consumers through portfolio e-commerce storefronts, extracting value through shared services (technology, customer experience, compliance, supply chain) and AI-driven operational optimization. Go-to-market is sales-led and deal-driven, with investment inquiries routed through [email protected]. The company is backed by institutional investors including Altos Ventures, StepStone Group, Maveron, Conductive Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Panasonic, and FJ Labs.

Name

CSC Generation

Legal name

CSC Generation

Website

https://cscgeneration.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CSC Generation is a private AI-native retail holding company that acquires and rebuilds struggling consumer brands on its proprietary Genesis operating system, operating 13 brands and $1B+ in revenue across outdoor, home, cycling, and lifestyle categories in North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Holding Company

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Stores & Storefront Platforms (BPAMAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sporting Goods, Outdoor & Fitness DTC (CRAFACAJ), Home, Furniture & Decor DTC (CRAFACAE)

Keywords

• Retail brand rollup
• AI retail platform
• Consumer brand portfolio
• Multi-brand e-commerce
• Retail acquisition strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Merrillville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Brand Operations: CSC Generation acquires struggling retail brands and operates them using the Genesis AI platform, generating revenue through the sale of consumer goods across multiple verticals including outdoor, cycling, home, and sporting goods.
2. Portfolio Scale: Operating 13 brands generating $1B+ in combined revenue, with the company extracting value through shared services, AI-driven optimization, and operational efficiency improvements across the portfolio.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CSC Generation acquires retail brands in transition (consumer, ecommerce, retail media, and technology) with at least $30M in revenue and rebuilds them on Genesis, its AI-native, agent-orchestrated operating system. The platform coordinates acquisition data, workflow telemetry, and AI operators into a unified retail execution layer, lifting EBITDA by 800 basis points within the first 12 months after acquisition while the company sells consumer goods across 13 portfolio brands.

Product overview

CSC Generation operates as an AI-native retail holding company that acquires and transforms retail brands using Genesis, its proprietary agent-orchestrated operating system. The platform comprises the Data Management Platform (DMP) for data ingestion and normalization, the Data Intelligence Platform (DIP) for auto-engineering features and generating decision-ready insights, the Retail Agent Harness for agent-based retail optimization, and Copilot AI for customer experience. These core modules work together to power a portfolio of 13+ acquired retail brands including Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, One Kings Lane, Sur La Table, and others, collectively generating $1B+ in revenue. The company specializes in acquiring retail brands in transition and rebuilding them on the Genesis platform, targeting 800 basis points of EBITDA improvement within the first 12 months post-acquisition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genesis: AI-native retail infrastructure platform - agent-orchestrated operating system that coordinates acquisition data, workflow telemetry, and AI operators for retail execution. Powers portfolio brands with features including Data Management Platform, Data Intelligence Platform, and proprietary AI tools for inventory management, pricing, and margin optimization.

Products and services

• Genesis Platform AI-native, agent-orchestrated retail infrastructure platform that coordinates acquisition data, workflow telemetry, and AI operators into a unified retail execution layer for CSC Generation's portfolio of acquired retail brands; reported to lift EBITDA by 800 basis points in the first 12 months after acquisition.
• Backcountry Direct-to-consumer outdoor retail brand selling outdoor gear, apparel, and equipment online; operates as part of CSC Generation's portfolio of brands rebuilt on Genesis.
• Competitive Cyclist Online cycling retailer selling bikes, components, and accessories; part of CSC Generation's portfolio powered by Genesis.
• BikeTiresDirect Online bicycle parts and tires retailer operating within CSC Generation's transformed brand portfolio.
• Home Consignment Center Home goods consignment retailer operating as part of CSC Generation's multi-brand platform.
• Home Designs Home design products brand within CSC Generation's portfolio of Genesis-powered retail businesses.
• Level Nine Sports Sports equipment retailer in CSC Generation's brand portfolio.
• MotoSport Motorcycle parts and accessories retailer operating as part of the Genesis-powered brand portfolio.
• One Kings Lane Home décor and furniture retailer operating within CSC Generation's multi-brand platform.
• Seattle Coffee Gear Coffee equipment and supplies retailer in the portfolio of brands transformed with Genesis.
• Steep & Cheap Outdoor gear discount retailer operating as part of CSC Generation's brand portfolio.
• Sur La Table Kitchenware and cooking equipment retailer (online and physical stores) operating within CSC Generation's transformed brand portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800 bps EBITDA improvement in first 12 months after acquisition

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thrasio: Thrasio is a large Amazon-native and DTC brand rollup that acquires, operates and scales consumer brands — directly comparable to CSC Generation's strategy of acquiring retail brands in transition and operating them on a shared platform.
• Heyday (Perch): Heyday acquires and scales DTC brands across multiple categories, applying shared operational and marketing infrastructure — closely mirroring CSC's model of buying established retail brands and rebuilding them on a centralized operating platform.
• Spreetail: Spreetail operates and accelerates e-commerce brands across marketplaces and DTC, providing shared services in supply chain, advertising and merchandising — comparable to CSC's shared-services layer across its 13-brand portfolio.
• Pattern: Pattern accelerates e-commerce brands through proprietary technology, content and supply-chain capabilities, serving as a buy- and operate-side partner — comparable to CSC's AI-driven turnaround model for acquired retail brands.

Broad incumbents

• Global-e: Global-e is a large DTC e-commerce enablement platform providing cross-border localization, payments and logistics to brand operators — adjacent to CSC's Genesis platform but serving a broader set of merchants rather than operating owned brands.
• Rithum (ChannelAdvisor): Rithum is an established e-commerce and marketplace platform providing listing, advertising and fulfillment software to brand operators — a broader incumbent in the same operational infrastructure category CSC targets with Genesis.
• Bazaarvoice: Bazaarvoice operates a large retail-media and user-generated-content network used by major retail brands — adjacent to CSC's retail-media focus within its acquisition criteria (consumer, retail, ecommerce, retail media, technology).

Emerging players

• CommerceIQ: CommerceIQ applies AI to retail media, inventory and pricing for CPG and brand operators — overlapping with CSC's Data Intelligence Platform and Retail Agent Harness capabilities for SKU-level decisioning.
• Syrup: Syrup is an AI merchandising platform for retail brands focused on pricing, inventory and demand forecasting — directly comparable to the agent-loop optimization CSC describes within Genesis.
• Kibo: Kibo provides a unified commerce platform spanning storefront, OMS and personalization for retailers and brands — overlapping with the operational layer CSC builds across its acquired brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csc-generation/posts/?feedView=all

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CSC Generation