TRO | Google launches UCP to standardise AI commerce

Plus, OpenAI introduces ads into ChatGPT, ElevenLabs could double its valuation and Netflix announces a major move into video podcasts.

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Meliora Company
January 19, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

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Subscribe | 19th January, 2026

In this fast-moving GenAI economy, headlines are everywhere but optimism is rare.

Here’s our take on 3 stories that will help you be relentlessly optimistic about the future.

1. Google launches UCP to standardise AI commerce.

Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open-source standard designed to power the next generation of agentic commerce. UCP creates a common language that enables AI agents to work across the entire shopping journey, from product discovery through to checkout and post-sale support. The protocol was developed in collaboration with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and has been endorsed by over 20 global partners including Adyen, American Express, Mastercard, Stripe and Visa.

Here’s why this matters: UCP represents a pivotal shift in how commerce infrastructure is being built for an agentic future. By creating a standardised protocol that lets AI agents interact with any retailer's systems, Google is positioning itself not just as a search company, but as the plumbing for how transactions happen in an AI-first world. The coalition of partners – spanning payments, retail and marketplaces – signals that the industry recognises the need for interoperability as agents become the new shopping interface. For TMT leaders, this is the moment to start thinking about what it means when the customer isn't browsing a website, but sending an agent to do it for them.

2. OpenAI tests ads in ChatGPT.

This week, OpenAI confirmed it will begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the US, starting with the free and new 'Go' subscription tiers. The Go tier – priced at US$8 per month – is now available worldwide, offering expanded messaging, image creation, file uploads and memory features. Ads will appear at the bottom of responses when there's a relevant sponsored product or service, and will be clearly labelled and separated from organic answers. Sam Altman noted that many users want extensive AI access without paying full price, making an ad-supported model a logical expansion.

Here’s why this matters: This marks a fundamental shift in how AI products will be monetised. OpenAI is signalling that the future of consumer AI isn't just subscription-based – it's a hybrid model where advertising subsidises access for the mass market. For media and advertising leaders, this opens a new frontier: conversational commerce and discovery. The question is no longer whether AI assistants will carry ads, but how brands will learn to show up in a format where the interface is a conversation, not a page. The companies that figure out how to be helpful in an AI context – rather than interruptive – will define the next era of digital advertising.

3. ElevenLabs could double valuation to US$11b

Voice AI company ElevenLabs is reportedly in discussions for new funding that would value it at US$11 billion – nearly doubling its valuation from just four months ago when it held a secondary share sale at US$6.6 billion. The London-founded company crossed US$330 million in annual recurring revenue last year, driven by its realistic voice generation technology used in customer service, text-to-speech applications and language dubbing. If completed, the deal would make ElevenLabs the most valuable AI startup in the UK.

Here’s why this matters: ElevenLabs' trajectory is a masterclass in vertical AI strategy – and validation of our prediction that vertical AI products will outperform general AI features in 2026. While foundation model companies race to build everything, ElevenLabs has focused relentlessly on one thing: voice. That focus has delivered explosive growth (US$330m ARR, nearly doubling valuation in four months) and attracted high-profile partnerships with the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine. For TMT leaders, ElevenLabs demonstrates that the winners in AI won't necessarily be the biggest – they'll be the companies that own a specific capability so well that they become the default infrastructure for an entire category.

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Our Pursuit Of Better

German AI startup, Parloa, has tripled its valuation to $3 billion. Investment in the Berlin-founded company indicates increasing investor interest in Europe’s leading AI groups. The company has generated more than $50m ARR in 2025, driven by US contracts.

Higgsfield, the AI video generation startup that was founded by Ex-Snap Head of GenAI Alex Mashrabov, has sold another $80 million worth of stock, bringing its total Series A to $130 million. The company says it has now hit a $1.3 billion valuation.

It feels like Claude is getting a lot of love lately - and it’s not surprising really. With a rumoured IPO on the horizon, and the release of Claude CoWork this week, there’s a lot of buzz around just how powerful Claude really is under the hood. Claude’s total web audience more than doubled in December compared with the previous year, and its daily unique visitors on desktop are up 12% globally year-to-date compared with last month.

The Story of Absolute Radio - a brand worth fighting for.

Absolute Radio is born but three days before launch, a legal challenge over the name threatens to throw all of their plans off course.

This is a story of how courageous courage, curiosity and relentless optimism led to the creation of one the radio industry’s most well-known brands.

Meliora Associate Spotlight

Mike McMahon - USA

Mike McMahon is a seasoned product and technology executive with deep expertise in OTT video platforms and large-scale digital transformations. Based in the US, he is one of The Meliora Company’s most senior leaders in platform architecture solutions.

Amy McClelland - UK

Amy is tech native who specialises in premium audience experiences and scalable business growth. Helping startups break into global markets and guiding traditional broadcasters through digital transformation, she is a hybrid blend of creative, operational, and strategic expertise.

The Pursuit of Better, Together

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