Ahead of its much-awaited $500 million initial public offering (IPO), Fintech SaaS startup Perfios has developed a new employee stock option plan (ESOP) for its staff called “Perfios ESOP 2025-A.” At an extraordinary general meeting on February 5, the company’s board approved the plan to launch the new ESOP program. The company will offer 2.05 lakh stock options to its employees via the Perfios ESOP 2025-A program, according to regulatory records that are available at the Registrar of Companies. The development was initially reported by Entrackr. According to the report, the recently added stock options are valued at over INR 645 Cr, or almost $76 million.
What is the New ESOP Plan and Company’s Preparation Before its IPO?
Under the new plan, after the four-year vesting period is up, Perfios will issue, distribute, and allot an equal number of equity shares to its employees. Perfios, which was founded in 2008 by VR Govindarajan and Debasish Chakraborty, offers financial institutions software solutions for a variety of purposes, including credit decisions, analytics, onboarding automation, and due diligence. After raising $80 million from Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG), the late-stage investment division of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a Canadian pension fund, Perfios became a unicorn in March 2024. The most recent development coincides with rumours that Perfios intended to raise $500 million at a $2 billion valuation through its initial public offering (IPO). There have been rumours that the fintech SaaS startup was considering going public in 2024. In November 2023, Perfios named Anu Mathew as chief people officer (CPO) and Sumit Nigam as chief technology officer (CTO) in anticipation of a possible initial public offering (IPO).
Perfios’ Recent Developments and Financial Outlook
According to reports, Perfios was in negotiations to enter the US market in October 2024 as part of its development strategies to spur growth. For an undisclosed sum, it purchased CustomerXPs, the parent company of banking fraud management startup Clari5, earlier this month. From INR 7.8 Cr in the previous fiscal year to INR 71.7 Cr in the fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24), Perfios’ consolidated net profit soared by 819%. From INR 406.8 Cr in FY23 to INR 557.8 Cr in the year under review, revenue from operations increased 37.1%.
ESOP Getting Popular Among New-Age Tech Companies
As an attraction tactic and a means of generating income, a number of cutting-edge software companies, like Razorpay, Flipkart, Swiggy, Nykaa, and Delhivery, have offered their staff ESOPs in recent years. In 2024, 16 cutting-edge tech businesses took part in ESOP buybacks, creating $148 million in wealth for their employees, in addition to Indian startups issuing ESOPs.
Despite significant employee opposition, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has strengthened the bank’s return-to-office (RTO) policy. His annoyance with workplace attendance, including his use of profanity when rejecting a petition against in-office obligations, was exposed in a February town hall audio that was leaked. Dimon made it plain that the bank’s stance on the issue has not changed, even though he later acknowledged that he regretted the terms he used.
Why Chase Wants Orthodox Work Culture?
Concerns about the RTO (Return To Office) mandate, which compels staff to be in the office five days a week starting on March 3, prompted Dimon to respond forcefully during the town hall. He allegedly responded, “Don’t waste time on it,” in reference to a petition against the policy that was signed by more than 1,700 employees. “The number of people who sign that ******* petition doesn’t matter to me,” he added further.
He was adamant about the policy, nevertheless. I have the utmost regard for those who choose not to work five days a week. You have that right. However, he continued, people should respect that the business, not the person, will determine what is best for the client, the business, etc. “They can get a job—I’m not being mean—they can get a job elsewhere,” he added. “I completely get that doing so might make perfect sense for them.”
Employees Voicing Against the Decision
A number of JPMorgan staff members expressed their disapproval of the policy both during and after the town hall. Tech operations analyst Nicholas Welch said he was given a warning regarding his job security after he proposed letting team managers decide on RTO policies. Later, Dimon emphasised, “I have never, ever fired anyone because they asked a question like that.” Dimon rejected the notion. Welch is still employed and in good standing with JPMorgan Chase, a representative told a news outlet. Dimon’s comments regarding diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have also come under fire, in addition to workplace standards. He was heard blasting the bank’s expenditures on DEI-related initiatives in a different leaked audio clip that Bloomberg was able to get.
According to reports, Dimon added, “I was really irritated by the way we were spending money on some of this dumb s***.” “I’m simply going to cancel them. I dislike bureaucratic waste of money. Dimon later defended his comments in a CNBC interview, stating that certain DEI programs were either too many, ineffectual, or unduly dependent on outside consultants.
He did, however, restate the bank’s dedication to diversification initiatives. Our outreach to the Black, Hispanic, LGBT, veteran, and disability populations will continue. “We’re not going to change that,” he stated. There has long been discussion over Dimon’s straightforward and even brazen leadership style. Although his strong beliefs have made him a divisive figure, his admirers contend that his firm approach is consistent with his goals for JPMorgan’s prosperity. The argument over remote work is still going strong as the bank implements its in-office policy. One thing is certain, though: Dimon has no intention of changing direction.
Ashwin Yardi, CEO of Capgemini India, has argued for a more balanced approach to working hours in India and rejected the notion of an extended 70- to 90-hour workweek. “47 and a half hours” is how Yardi defended a 47.5-hour workweek when speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai. “Five days a week, we have roughly nine hours each day,” he stated. According to a news outlet, he stated, “My guiding principle for the last four years is don’t send an e-mail on a weekend even if it is an escalation unless you know you can solve it on a weekend.”
Why is Yardi Promoting a 47.5-hour workweek?
Although Yardi admitted that he occasionally works on the weekends, he stated he avoids sending needless emails to staff members because doing so would simply lead to “grief” rather than any useful outcomes. Sindhu Gangadharan, the chairperson of Nasscom and the head of SAP India, highlighted at the same event that workplace productivity should be outcome-driven rather than determined by hours worked. While acknowledging that she occasionally sends emails late at night, Marico CEO Saugata Gupta expressed a similar view.
Yardi’s comments coincide with a continuing discussion that was triggered by L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s proposal for a 90-hour workweek and Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy‘s demand for a 70-hour workweek. In a recent conversation with staff members, Subrahmanyan confessed to not being able to force them to work on Sundays. “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you work on Sundays,” he remarked.
Accepting the Expectations of Young Minds
Given the demographics of IT workers, Yardi previously stated that it is critical for organisations to adjust to the demands of their younger workforce and outline the strategies they are implementing. While hard work is crucial, Vinay Dube of Akasa Air stated that he does not believe in the concept of working 70-hour weeks and that he does not expect others, particularly young professionals, to do the same. I do not want children to put in seventy hours of work. “How can I expect them to do it if I’m not doing it?” he asked. Dube emphasised the value of work-life balance since he thought that young people might advance their careers and still have personal lives. He went on to say, “I want people to have that perspective,” emphasising that many individuals later regret not spending more time with their friends and family.
Murthy Dissecting from his Earlier Claim
The 78-year-old former tech CEO advocated for India’s youthful labour to put in more hours at work in an October 2023 podcast, arguing that this would help the nation reach its full potential on a global scale. India has some of the lowest work productivity in the world, he claimed. “We won’t be able to compete with those nations that have made great strides unless we increase our productivity at work, decrease government corruption to some extent (because we’ve been reading, I don’t know the truth), and shorten the time it takes for our bureaucracy to make decisions.
Murthy, however, recently stated that no one should force someone else to work long hours and that such matters should be investigated. Murthy stated that no one should have the authority to impose lengthy work hours during his speech at the Kilachand Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on January 21. “I can state that I used to arrive at work at 6.20 am and depart at 8.30 pm. I have done it; that much is true. It’s incorrect for anyone to say “no.” I’ve been doing it for about 40 years. These, in my opinion, are not matters that need to be explored or argued. One can reflect on these concerns, absorb information, draw conclusions, and take any action they choose. That’s it. Nobody can tell you if you should do something or not,” he remarked.
Quick commerce platform KiranaPro has teamed up with B2B management platform ZuperAI to provide its users with AI-based retail market solutions, only days after enlisting PV Sindhu as an investor. In order to help consumers and merchants with product discovery, inventory optimisation, and supply chain efficiency, KiranaPro will incorporate ZuperAI’s “Matchmaking AI” technology as part of this collaboration. The connection would help businesses grow their business while also making it easier for users to find products. The fast commerce startup hopes to create a tailored shopping experience while bridging the gap between consumers and retailers. Deepak Ravindran, the founder and CEO of KiranaPro, stated that this partnership is revolutionary for AI-powered business, opening up new possibilities for accuracy, customisation, and operational effectiveness.
Joining Network of ONDC
The fast commerce company just joined ONDC, making it the first platform in India to access the nation’s network of more than 7 lakh registered merchants. Before expanding farther into Kerala, the ONDC-powered platform will first begin operations in Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram. KiranaPro was founded in 2024 by Ravindran and Dipankar Sarkar with the goal of transforming traditional kirana (retail) establishments by providing them with a flexible income model and an AI-driven interface that aids in managing their digital operations. KiranaPro links local mom-and-pop shops with consumers directly, in contrast to other quick commerce systems that rely on dark stores. Because of its collaboration with ONDC, the firm operates throughout India.
Why Quick Commerce Companies are Keeping its Platform Hi-Tech and Updated?
To increase its presence in the hyperlocal retail market, it also purchased Joper.app, a hyperlocal grocery delivery business, earlier this month. In addition to bolstering KiranaPro’s position in the hyperlocal commerce market, the acquisition of Joper.app guarantees local business owners superior tech-enabled solutions that enhance productivity and customer satisfaction, according to Deepak Ravindran, co-founder and CEO of KiranaPro. The action is in line with KiranaPro’s goal of enabling small merchants to take on the big rapid commerce titans. KiranaPro and the merchants collaborating with the brand will benefit from Sumit Gorai’s (founder of Joper.app) knowledge and insights on the mechanics of operating a retail business in India, which he frequently discusses on his YouTube channel.
The growth coincides with intense competition in India’s fast commerce market. Leading companies like Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto are rapidly growing their quick commerce services, which allow them to deliver food and household necessities in as little as ten minutes. These companies have recently introduced a number of rapid commerce services, such as Swiggy’s SNACC, Zomato’s Bistro, and Zepto Cafe, among many more. Additionally, Zomato’s Blinkit launched a 10-minute ambulance service last month. Notably, the three giants collectively recorded over $1 billion in revenue in FY24, and a survey indicates that sales in India’s rapid commerce sector have increased by 280% over the past two years.
PhonePe, owned by Walmart, has selected four investment banks as advisors as India’s leading digital payments platform aims to enter the domestic tech IPO sector, targeting a valuation of up to $15 billion. As per a media report, PhonePe plans to initiate the IPO process in the first week of March and has engaged Kotak Mahindra Capital, JP Morgan, Citi, and Morgan Stanley. Additional advisors may be incorporated at a subsequent phase if necessary.
A media report corroborated this information and indicated that the IPO would likely consist of both main and secondary share issuances, with the listing anticipated in FY26. During a kick-off meeting, the issuing firm outlines essential strategies and the timeline for the IPO, as well as delineates the roles and responsibilities of the assembled advisors.
The media report indicates that this is anticipated to be a significant tech IPO from a market leader, with the issue size projected to exceed one billion dollars. These are preliminary stages, and the plans may evolve based on market conditions; nonetheless, currently, the firm intends to forgo potential profits for investors and is targeting a valuation of up to $15 billion.
Major Investors in PhonePe
The company stated in its FY24 annual report that PhonePe has garnered an impressive array of distinguished investors, who have collectively invested over INR 18,000 crore in the organisation to date. Walmart holds the largest holding, with additional investors including Microsoft, General Atlantic, Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital, TVS Capital, Tencent, and the Qatar Investment Authority. Notably, the share price of the publicly traded fintech counterpart One 97 Communications Limited, which owns and operates the Paytm brand, has increased by 72.28% during the past year.
Strategy to go Public
On February 20, PhonePe announced the initiation of preparatory measures for a prospective initial public offering (IPO) to be listed on Indian exchanges. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, announced that PhonePe, Walmart’s fintech subsidiary, is preparing for an IPO in India. PhonePe’s staff has long desired to become a public company, and Walmart is enthusiastic about initiating these preliminary steps. PhonePe re-established its domicile from Singapore to India in December 2022. The corporation announced the establishment of a definitive corporate structure, designating each of its new non-payment enterprises as wholly owned subsidiaries.
The company stated that PhonePe’s robust revenue and profit development throughout its varied business portfolio, as outlined in its FY23-24 annual report, renders this an opportune moment to initiate preparations for a public offering. Located in Bengaluru PhonePe is the preeminent digital payments entity in the country, commanding approximately 48 percent of the market share in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a real-time mobile payments platform operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Google Pay has the position of the second largest competitor, commanding a market share of approximately 37 percent.
The NPCI previously specified that no single non-bank third-party application may possess more than 30 percent of the market share, aiming to foster competition and mitigate the duopoly situation.
Nevertheless, the organisation had to prolong the deadline twice, extending it by two years to prevent discomfort to customers. The RBI said in a circular on December 31 that, taking into account various variables, the deadline for compliance of current TPAPs exceeding the volume cap is extended by two years, till December 31, 2026.
A penalty notice of INR 17.35 lakh has been issued to travel tech giant Easemytrip for allegedly breaking GST regulations. In a filing, the company stated that it has been notified that it has received an order from the Sales Tax Officer Class II/AVATO Delhi, State/UT: Delhi, dated February 24, 2025. The listed firm has taken advantage of the ineligible input tax credit (ITC) for the fiscal year 2020–21, according to the authority. The Delhi Goods and Services Act of 2017, the Central Goods and Service Tax Act of 2017, and the Integrated Goods and Service Tax Act of 2017 all impose penalties on EMT. In addition, the business plans to challenge the order.
EaseMyTrip’s Order Book and Expansion Spree
The business won the first intercity electric bus tender from the Madhya Pradesh government through its subsidiaries, YoloBus and Easy Green Mobility. By 2026, the business hopes to have 1,000 buses in service, having deployed 500 in 2025. EaseMyTrip also established Easy Trip Planners Do Brasil Ltda, a wholly owned subsidiary, in Brazil earlier this month. Due to a decline in its top line, EaseMyTrip’s profit after tax (PAT) dropped by almost 26% to INR 34.02 Cr in the third quarter of FY25 from INR 45.68 Cr in the same quarter last year. Additionally, its operational revenue decreased from INR 160.78 Cr in the same quarter last year to INR 150.56 Cr in the December quarter, a 6% decrease.
On-going Developments in the Firm
Following the resignation of former CEO Nishant Pitti last month, the publicly traded travel technology company has experienced a significant reorganisation in its senior management. Pitti diluted his 1.41% ownership in the firm, or 5 Cr shares, before he resigned. This is not the first time Pitti has sold off company stock. Through several block agreements, he sold 24.65 Cr of the startup’s shares in September 2024 for INR 920 Cr. Additionally, the company recently received board clearance to raise INR 234.03 Cr from seven investors through a preferential equity share offering.
About EaseMyTrip
EaseMyTrip.com is one of the biggest online travel agencies in India, having been founded in 2008. The company was founded by brothers Nishant, Rikant, and Prashant with the goal of streamlining operations and using the least amount of cash. It was inspired by their previous business, Duke Travel. Starting out in a tiny room, the firm surmounted obstacles with perseverance and family support to become a strong organisation that guarantees financial stability. By implementing a “no convenience fee” policy and switching to a customer-facing approach in 2011, the brand was able to build a devoted clientele through open pricing and first-rate service.
Consumer internet company, Glance, and Google Cloud today announced a strategic partnership to bring the power of generative AI (gen AI) to millions of Glance-enabled smartphones worldwide. Through this collaboration, Glance will leverage Google’s AI models to develop consumer-facing AI applications designed to enhance and enrich user experiences on smartphone lock screens and ambient TV screens.
Glance, a pioneer in delivering AI-powered smart lock screen experiences, currently powers more than 450 million Android-based smartphones worldwide. The company has an active user base of more than 300 million across India, Indonesia, Japan, the United States, and other countries. It is now building the next generation of Glance, which aims to turn every user’s lock screen into the center of their digital experiences, integrating their news, sports, games, entertainment, fashion, and shopping with gen AI to create a ‘personal internet’ for the user.
Glance will leverage Google Cloud’s Gemini intelligence capabilities and Imagen’s state of the art image generation capabilities via Vertex AI to power Glance’s next-gen experiences. One of the first experiences is an immersive, gen AI-enabled commerce feature for the lock screen. This feature allows users to upload a single image (selfie or upload from gallery), which is then analyzed to infer their interests and preferences. Users can then use gen AI to generate personalized images that place them in relevant contexts, transforming their lock screen wallpapers. As users visualize themselves with various products, they can make real-time purchase decisions seamlessly from their lock screens.
“Our mission at Glance is to inspire users to become the best version of themselves through discovery-led experiences on surfaces powered by AI. We want to be the world’s largest consumer tech platform, reaching a billion screens by 2028, and our partnership with Google Cloud is key,” said Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO of InMobi & Glance. “Our combined knowledge, AI capabilities, and expertise uniquely position Glance to deliver the next level of AI-driven experiences for smartphone users, supported by viable business models such as commerce and advertising.”
The partnership comes as Glance prepares to launch ‘Glance AI,’ a gen AI-powered platform designed to deliver immersive discovery experiences on both smartphone lock screens and TV ambient screens. To be launched in the U.S. market first, Glance AI aims to supercharge ordinary smartphones into AI phones through experiences that redefine content and commerce.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud added, “Generative AI technologies have the power to transform experiences for people around the world, and mobile phones are a key touchpoint. Glance can now harness Google Cloud’s cutting-edge gen AI technologies to develop groundbreaking applications across commerce, content, and more that will unlock new possibilities for customers.”
Launched in 2019, Glance is one of the earliest to unlock the potential of the smartphone lock screen, providing unique AI-driven personalized content discovery experiences. The Glance smart lock screen is delivered in partnership with OEMs and telcos. All functions are customizable, opt-in, and do not access user data, while maintaining user privacy. The platform relies on usage patterns to continually refine its recommendation engine and provide the best-in-class experience to the consumers.
About Glance Founded in 2019, Glance is a consumer technology company that operates some of the most disruptive digital platforms including Glance, Roposo, and Nostra. Glance has redefined the way the internet is consumed on the lock screen, removing the need for searching and downloading apps. Over 450 million smartphones now come enabled with Glance’s next-generation internet experience. Roposo has revolutionized commerce by launching a destination for creator-led live entertainment commerce. Headquartered in Singapore, Glance is an unconsolidated subsidiary of InMobi and is funded by Jio Platforms, Google, and Mithril Capital.
About Google Cloud Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.
Holi, or the festival of colours, is one of India’s most joyous occasions. Rooted in cultural traditions, Holi symbolizes the victory of good over evil and brings in a season of love and unity.
Traditionally, Holi is celebrated with friends and family, but it has also found its way into the corporate world. Holi is the perfect festival to mix cultural festivals with employee engagement and team building.
Festivals like Holi act as a pause for employees to connect and celebrate with one another. Integrating Holi into the corporate world helps promote a positive work culture and strengthens interpersonal relationships.
Why celebrate Holi in the office?
Celebrating Holi in the office can be an opportunity for fun. It reflects the organization’s commitment to building a work environment that celebrates diversity and employee well-being. By celebrating Holi in office, it can improve:
Team Bonding: Holi brings people together and breaks barriers to encourage collaboration.
Cultural appreciation: By celebrating festivals like Holi, the company respects traditions and highlights inclusivity.
Stress Relief: Helps recharge employees and contributes to a more focused and efficient workforce.
Fun activities to help celebrate Holi in the office
Holi is the perfect festival to include people of all ages and have some fun in the office. You can try hosting Holi at your office easily:
Start with a dress code
Holi is all about traditions and vibrant colors. So, wearing formal is not a good idea. You want people to feel like it is a special event. So, set a dress code for Holi. You can always make it a competition and set a prize for the best-dressed person of the day.
Setting a theme
Once you have a dress code in place, you can decorate the whole office as well. Create a holi theme and add pops of color for all areas. You can also get creative and hang colorful lights, flowers, or ribbons. You can also make the food color-themed as well. You can also divide the office into different colors, for example, the sales team in red and the HR team in blue, and get everyone to decorate their space in those colors and bring in a potluck of that particular color.
Remember to make it eco-friendly
Make Holi an eco-friendly event by using flowers or organic colors. You can also hold a competition for whoever comes up with the most creative way to remain eco-friendly on Holi. Even the prizes can be eco-friendly, such as just bags, bamboo desk organizers, seed planting kits, and more.
Colours and rangoli are the marks of Holi. But you still need to make sure that decorum is maintained in the office space. So, why not have a rangoli competition? You can divide employees into different teams, and the team that creates the most unique artistic design in a specific time wins. You can also make the competition more difficult by asking the teams to use eco-friendly products.
Best cubicle award
For employees, their cubicle is their comfort zone. So, why not host a best-decorated cubicle award as a part of the Holi celebration? You can set up different conditions, such as using organic decorations or making a theme, to make it more interesting. When employees decorate their office space as per their tastes, you can pick the best one based on creativity.
Face painting
Face painting is one of the largest parts of Holi celebrations across India. During Holi, people not only paint their faces but also their houses as a symbol of good over evil. You can use this concept in the office as well. All you need is paint and some brushes. Let your employees be as artistic as they want, but remember to use body paint that is non-allergenic.
Selfie corner
We live in the generation of selfies that help make memories. So, step up taking photos by creating a selfie corner. You can use props such as one-liners, oversized sunglasses, rainbow wigs, and even cardboard cutouts as some examples for the selfie corner.
Have multiple games
To encourage team building, have a bunch of games that everyone can play. Choose from any of the popular games, such as Antakshari, musical chairs, and dumb charades. You can even have eating competitions (who can eat the most sweets) between teams to get everyone involved and motivated.
Gifting sweets
Every celebration in India ends with exchanging sweets among friends and family. Employees are also a part of the family, and by giving them a box of sweets, you can showcase just how important they are to the company.
Cooking Competition
Another great fun Holi activity is hosting a cooking or baking contest. You can also team up cooking members with non-cooking members and create a tag-team playing option.
Have a dance party
All festivals need to have a dance party. So, start this Holi by hosting a dance party. This not only helps employees loosen up and forget their busy schedules for a second. Feel free to let the employees make music requests, such as Bollywood hits and Indie-pop.
Bingo with color
You can play the classic bingo with teams, but add the color option. Add all your colors instead of numbers, and anyone who wins will receive colorful prizes.
Holi Karaoke
Not everyone can dance or throw the perfect water balloon. But you can sing to keep everyone entertained.
Scavenger Hunt
Set up your employees into teams and give them a map of the corporate office. All clues need to be related to colors.
Fun Activities to Celebrate Holi in the Office
Conclusion
Holi is the season of acceptance and togetherness, and the more memories you make with employees, the more you will give positive vibes for the year. The purpose of Holi is to unite groups from multiple backgrounds so that they can set their differences aside and celebrate each other’s cultures. So, start by celebrating Holi in the workspace to encourage a free and friendly environment for all employees.
The energy storage industry in India has witnessed a game-changing moment with the official launch of Cellvest Energy Private Ltd., a next-generation energy startup that is redefining businesses access to battery storage solutions. The high-profile event, held at Conrad Hotel, Bangalore, brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and Global energy experts to discuss the future of sustainable power.
With a market valuation of ₹501 Cr, Cellvest is addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the energy sector, including high capital costs, short battery lifespans, and limited access to cutting-edge storage technology. Unlike traditional models that require businesses to make heavy upfront investments, Cellvest is pioneering a flexible financing model, offering options to rent, lease-to-own, or purchase battery solutions outright, making sustainable energy more accessible than ever before.
“The energy transition cannot happen if storage remains financially out of reach for businesses. At Cellvest, we are eliminating this barrier by providing companies with a smarter way to adopt green energy—through financing models that fit their needs, whether it’s rental, lease-to-own, or purchase,” said Vijay Kallat, Managing Director of Cellvest Energy Private Ltd.“Our solutions are designed to be affordable, scalable, and long-lasting, ensuring that businesses never have to compromise on sustainability due to cost.”
During the launch event, Cellvest’s leadership team spoke about the next-generation battery technology, which lasts up to five times longer than conventional storage solutions, and can be deployed at an ultra-affordable USD 10-15 per kW. The company also shared insights into its global expansion strategy, highlighting partnerships and its commitment to scaling operations globally.
“For too long, businesses have had to choose between sustainability and affordability. With Cellvest, they no longer have to make that choice. By combining best-in-class battery technology with innovative financing, we are making clean energy solutions viable for industries of all sizes,” added Krishnadeep Menon, Director of Cellvest Energy Private Ltd.
The event concluded withthe agreement between Cellvest Energy and Cellex Battery Systems reinforcing Cellvest’s position as a disruptor in the $800 billion global energy storage market. The company is now actively working on projects with industries across the globe further strengthening its vision of making sustainable power truly accessible for all.
About Cellvest Energy Pvt Ltd Cellvest Energy Private Ltd. is a first of its kind energy startup revolutionizing battery storage with a fin-tech-driven approach. Valued at ₹501 Cr, Cellvest is tackling key industry challenges—high capital costs, short battery lifespans, and limited access to advanced storage technology—by offering flexible financing options: rental, lease-to-own, and outright purchase. Unlike conventional solutions, Cellvest’s next-generation batteries last up to 5x longer and are available at an ultra-affordable USD 10-15 per kW, making sustainable energy more accessible. Operating in a $800 billion global market, the company is expanding rapidly through strategic partnerships with governments and enterprises worldwide. Led by industry veterans Vijay Kallat and Krishnadeep Menon, Cellvest is set to disrupt how businesses adopt clean energy—offering technology that’s not only cost-effective and scalable but also impossible to replicate. By bridging the gap between energy and finance, Cellvest is pioneering the future of sustainable power.
The revolutionizing tool of e-commerce is the improvement in customer experience and sales. Recommendation engines study customer behavior and predict which products may interest the customer, while dynamic pricing tools automatically change prices in real time according to demand and competition. AI chatbots provide customer service 24/7, and trend predictions provide information metrics that help in decision-making. Visual search has simplified product discovery, while personalization engines personalize the shopping experience. AI-driven inventory management holds optimum levels of stock, whereas fraud detection systems prevent loss from customers. Email marketing automation is personalization in a campaign, and A/B testing tools reduce conversion rates. These would help e-commerce businesses create an efficient and profitable operation capable of achieving changing consumer expectations with an effortless and engaging shopping experience.
Lyro AI Chatbot
WEBSITE
WWW.TIDIO.COM
Rating
4
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
businesses looking to significantly automate customer service and support
Lyro AI Chatbot – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Lyro is a chatbot meant for conversations; i.e., it is meant to automate customer service mostly for small and median-sized e-commerce businesses. It is powered by Claude LLM and Tidio’s AI, thus understanding whatever query and taking upconversion in a human-friendly support style. Lyro handles frequent queries-single requests that convey product information- and tracks orders while automating activities like booking appointments and managing feedback.
It provides multichannel support as it integrates with websites, applications, and social media. In addition, it connects existing CRM systems and existing help desks to make work more productive. By providing personal support naturally, just like humans would, Lyro helps the business streamline its operations.
Pros
Smooth Integration of the Tool
Better Customer Engagement
Ability to Handle High-volume
Cons
Limited Adaptability Scope
Overdependency on Training Data
Pricing
Plan
Price
Growth
$59/month
Plus
$749/month
Premium
$2999/month
ViSenze
WEBSITE
WWW.VISENZ.COM
Rating
4.8
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
e-commerce and retail businesses
ViSenze – Best E-commerce AI Tool
ViSenze is an artificial intelligence tool that revolutionizes product discovery and searches in e-commerce and retail businesses. AI/ML-based semantic search and intelligent recommendations through multimodal capabilities enable ViSenze to understand customer intent. This multisensory search modality covers text, images, and a shopping buddy while delivering a real-time, dynamic intelligent recommendation engine on products.
Automated product tagging helps enrich product data at scale according to the particular needs of customers. Visual search analyses pictures detects objects, and catalog-heads them for quick discovery. It also gives reporting and dashboards that provide actionable insights into customer journeys to convert better and increase the basket size, and top-line revenues.
Pros
Good User Experience
Increased Sales Conversions
Faster Query Handling
Cons
Steep learning curve
Difficulty in integration in internal systems
Pricing
ViSenze offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Nosto
WEBSITE
WWW.NOSTO.COM
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Personalize the customer experience, Increase online sales
Nosto – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Nosto is a platform driven by artificial intelligence and has focused on personalizing eCommerce experiences among websites. Its experience.AI uses big data, AI, and dynamic targeting to analyze real-time customer behavior preferences and purchase history. This facility will issue precise recommendations of product details and guidance that will be directed in personalized marketing messages, web applications, mobile apps, and e-mails.
Nosto offers quick setting up via API or pre-built templates, ensuring a fast time to value. Automation combined with control running under advanced AI and machine learning. Easily connected, it also provides strong tools that enhance user experience without slowing down a site so that eCommerce businesses can use it effectively.
Pros
Shopper Personalization
Fast API Configuration
Measurable Data Insights
Cons
High Cost Barrier
Requires Technical Expertise
Pricing
Nosto offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
OptiMonk AI
WEBSITE
WWW.OPTIMONK.COM
Rating
4.8
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
businesses looking to improve their website’s performance
OptiMonk – Best E-commerce AI Tool
OptiMonk enhances e-commerce performance by creating personalized website experiences, popups that engage visitors, and advanced A/B testing tools. It captures visitor attention, decreases cart abandonment, and increases conversion by showing personalized experiences based on visitor behavior, preferences, and demographics. So users can design and create fully customizable popups that engage customers.
The Smart Product Page Optimizer increases sales through smarter copies and layouts. Advanced A/B testing allows businesses to determine the best working strategies, in conjunction with segmentation tools that deliver messages pertinent to visitor actions. OptiMonk integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and WordPress to help businesses tighten their conversion and make shopping experiences more fun and engaging.
businesses looking to understand their customers and competitors
Revuze – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Revuze is the most advanced Consumer Intelligence platform powered by Artificial Intelligence into structural unstructured customer feedback into product and marketing insights for e-commerce businesses. Data in many forms like online reviews, surveys, and social media are analyzed to understand customers’ sentiments and identify any trends to optimize product and marketing approaches for the brands.
Its AI-based sentiment analysis helps to identify whether there is positive or negative sentiment, while the topic clustering indicates the main areas of concern of the consumers. Thus, it allows businesses to real-time adaptations to altered market conditions and gives the advantage of providing a single view of customer opinions with cross-platform data integration.
Pros
Data analysis using natural language processing.
Simple user interfaces for the next-gen consumer.
Market insights in real-time.
Cons
Technical Assistance Is Necessary
High Price Point
Pricing
Revuze offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Bazaarvoice
Bazaarvoice is an AI-powered consumer insights platform optimizing e-commerce using user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce solutions. Put differently, the AI engine HarmonyAI automates content creation while enhancing engagement. Creator Discovery identifies relevant influencers for brands by analyzing text and imagery against campaign requirements. AI-driven Instagram Photo Captions generate personalized captions and hashtags for these brands, increasing visibility.
Content Coach not only gives influencers personalized suggestions but also gamifies review writing to enhance content quality. Review Summaries summarize consumer feedback regarding a product so that salient product insights can drive fast purchase decisions. Furthermore, customers can now filter reviews by attributes such as size and fit as a way of enhancing the overall shopping experience.
Pros
Automates chores, allowing time savings.
Fosters customer interaction.
Allows for decisions based on data.
Cons
Integration-related challenges that require a certain amount of technical expertise.
High expenditure makes it difficult for small businesses to afford.
Pricing
Bazaarvoice offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
marketers, product managers, and marketing agencies
SearchIQ – Best E-commerce AI Tool
SearchIQ is an AI-driven search source for improving e-commerce sites, giving quick precise results with real-time usage statistics. Well suited to companies with huge inventories, the tool efficiently operates handling millions of documents. Its features consist of an autocomplete that suggests immediately, fuzzy matches that eliminate errors or synonyms, and a dashboard for real-time analysis to drive strategy content optimization.
Additionally, SearchIQ will influence mobile search, have a front-end user-defined interface that matches the brand design, and facet query to filter results. This means basically that it is a very useful tool to maximize conversions and boost customer satisfaction. It is an all-around solution that leads an establishment to always achieve better online performances.
Pros
Seamless Search
Easy integration with the website and platforms.
Provides data-driven analytics for optimization.
Cons
Performance slowdowns during peak hours.
Higher Learning Curves.
Pricing
Plan
Price
Tier 2
$208/month
Tier 3
SearchIQ offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
Tier 4
SearchIQ offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
ecommerce businesses, particularly those on Shopify, who want to leverage interactive quizzes to personalize the customer experience
Octane AI – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Octane AI is an AI-based platform that makes e-commerce exciting for Shopify merchants. It incorporates conversational marketing, automation through AI, and interactive tools for customer engagement and conversion. Businesses can create interactive quizzes to learn their customers’ preferences and suggest products to them. AI agents powered with GPT-4 can support customers with intelligence and automate those interactions.
Abandoned cart recovery utilizes personalized messages to encourage users to finish their purchases. AI recommendations based on user behavior are offered on the platform along with seamless integration with Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. Trigger marketing through audience segmentation is complemented with data analytics that provides insight into customer interactions and campaign performance, allowing businesses to fine-tune their approach and maximize revenue.
Pros
Interactive quizzes and AI-powered messaging amplify user engagement.
Enhanced personalized recommendations
Simple Integrations link easily with Klaviyo and Mailchimp for smoother marketing.
Cons
Higher Prices for small businesses.
Certain functions require training or technical skills.
Pricing
Plan
Price
Octane
$50/month
Octane Plus
$200/month
Enterprise
$500
Prisync
WEBSITE
PRISYNC.COM
Rating
5
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Competitor price monitoring and price management
Prisync – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Prisync is a pricing optimization tool that is powered by AI and is developed for the benefit of e-commerce businesses. It automates price monitoring and adjustments to a level that would keep e-commerce businesses competitive. It ensures real-time information about competitor pricing to enable retailers to act quickly in times of fluctuations in the market.
It brings along dynamic pricing rules whereby users can set automatic adjustment procedures according to competitor movements but without eroding profit margins. It monitors stock availability and assists businesses in taking a calculated approach in terms of supply and demand-related decisions. The multi-currency feature allows businesses to have a global pricing strategy seamlessly.
Pros
Automated pricing adjustments
Price effectiveness maximization for revenues and margins.
Continuous competitor analysis and market trends.
Cons
May be expensive for smaller businesses or startups.
helps businesses create more relevant and targeted shopping experiences
Barilliance – Best E-commerce AI Tool
Barilliance is an AI-powered e-commerce personalization and conversion optimization engine that will change the way online shopping works. It uses real-time data and machine learning to provide personalized product recommendations according to user behavior, recorded preferences, and past interactions.
The platform automatically sends out cart abandonment emails to recover sales that would otherwise have been lost and also enables dynamic content personalization across web pages and emails so that engagement is increased. Leveraging customer segmentation for businesses extends beyond that point where custom campaigns can be created for better retention and lifetime value. Indeed it would perfectly integrate with e-commerce and email marketing platforms for a truly unified omnichannel experience.
Pros
Fast Integration with major E-commerce platforms needing little IT resource.
Personalization experience increases conversational rates and average order values.
All personalized email marketing and customer engagement features in a single platform.
Cons
May not offer affordable rates for small companies or startups.
Some functions require training or support to use them properly.
Pricing
Barilliance offers custom pricing; contact them for a quote.
E-commerce companies these days have quickly become reliant on AI technology in their increased quest for improved customer experiences, better operation efficiency, and a boost in sales. Personalized recommendations and dynamic pricing will now include automated support and real-time analytics, to meet many others with the diverse needs of retail.
Directly using AI, businesses can be in direct and engaging contain with customers and understand the right data for further insightful conclusions as well as increased effectiveness in operation. Competitive advantage can also be gained in dynamic pricing mechanisms concerning market-predominant patterns from Artificial Intelligence-supported instruments. In this case, when everything progresses with technological advancements, staying current with innovations will be vital for development.
FAQs
What are E-commerce AI Tools?
E-commerce AI tools utilize artificial intelligence to automate and enhance various aspects of online retail, from customer service and marketing to product recommendations and inventory management.
How can AI enhance the customer experience in e-commerce?
AI provides personalized recommendations, instant customer support through chatbots, and a more seamless and efficient shopping journey.
Can AI help with e-commerce marketing?
Yes. AI tools can analyze customer data to create targeted marketing campaigns, optimize ad spending, and generate engaging content.
Nitin Konde
