Category Archives: Business

Aviva India appoints Harshit Agrawal as Head of Marketing

New Delhi, India, Mar 11:  Aviva India, one of India’s leading private life insurance companies, recently announced the appointment of Harshit Agrawal as its Head of Marketing.

Harshit brings with him over 16 years of experience across marketing, brand strategy, and digital transformation in the financial services and advertising sectors. Prior to joining Aviva India, he held pivotal roles at Clix Capital and Muthoot Blue Group, where he led key initiatives focused on strengthening brand visibility, accelerating digital adoption, and enhancing customer engagement. Earlier in his career, he has also worked with organisations such as BC Web Wise and Dentsu Webchutney, contributing to integrated marketing strategies and growth across leading brands.

In his new role, Harshit will lead Aviva India’s marketing function, focusing on strengthening brand positioning, enhancing customer engagement, and driving innovative marketing initiatives aligned with the company’s strategic growth priorities.

Commenting on the appointment, Asit Rath, MD & CEO said, “At Aviva, we are on a journey of transformation, building a progressive, customer-first brand that moves beyond conventional marketing. Harshit’s contribution will be instrumental in elevating our marketing capabilities, and strengthening our position as a future-ready organization.”

Sharing his thoughts, Harshit Agrawal, Head of Marketing, Aviva India, said, “Aviva has always stood out as a progressive organisation, constantly evolving with new innovations and a forward-looking strategy. It truly inspires me to build on this momentum, moving beyond traditional approaches to create campaigns that resonate with customers, elevate the brand, and reflect Aviva’s shift from protection to prevention. I look forward to shaping an impactful marketing narrative that drives trust, engagement, and sustainable growth.”

This appointment is a strategic move that will benefit Aviva India by elevating its marketing approach and strengthening its vision of making life insurance progressive, meaningful, and a part of everyday life.

Justdial Accelerates Growth for Over 55 Lakh plus MSMEs in Delhi NCR

New Delhi, Mar 11: As India’s capital and one of the country’s most dynamic business hubs, Delhi is home to thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs spanning manufacturing, logistics, services, and education). In an increasingly competitive and digital-first marketplace, these businesses are turning to online discovery platforms to generate leads, build credibility, and scale sustainably.

With its extensive network of listed businesses and high-intent consumer searches, Justdial, India’s No. 1 local search engine, has emerged as a key growth enabler for Delhi’s MSMEs.

For many business owners, Justdial has played a pivotal role in transforming lead generation and reducing dependence on traditional marketing channels. Karam Veer Singh, Director at TSE Shaft Elevators India Private Limited, Delhi, shared how the platform became central to his company’s growth journey: “We started with a ₹25,000 Justdial package and began receiving 3–4 leads daily. Over time, we upgraded our plan, and today nearly 90% of our business comes through Justdial. The quality and consistency of enquiries have been a game changer for us.”

His experience highlights how B2B-focused enterprises are leveraging Justdial to access steady, high-quality leads without extensive outreach efforts. A similar impact is evident in the logistics sector. Sunil Kumar, from Transport Carriers of India Logistics, Okhla, credits Justdial with simplifying customer acquisition while driving strong growth:“Justdial contributes 60–70% to our business growth. We don’t have to run around looking for clients. Sitting comfortably, we are able to connect directly with B2B customers and receive relevant enquiries consistently.”

For service-based businesses like packers and movers, digital discovery has become indispensable. Manoj Bhardwaj, owner of Dev Bhumi Packers and Movers, Delhi, reflected on his long-standing association with the platform:

 “In the last five years, whatever we have achieved is largely because of Justdial. It’s a very solid platform, and we regularly work on leads received through it. It has helped us build a stable and growing business.”

The education and skill development industry is also witnessing strong returns through online visibility. Akash Kumar, owner of Shri Sai Computer Learning Centre, Delhi, shared a compelling ROI story: 

“I started with a ₹15,000 Justdial package in 2019. From that investment, I earn ₹1–2 lakh/month regularly, and sometimes even ₹5–10 lakh/month in revenue. I highly recommend Justdial services to anyone looking to grow their business.”

These success stories reflect how Delhi’s entrepreneurs are harnessing Justdial’s platform to unlock growth. By delivering credible leads, transparent ROI, and sustained visibility, Justdial continues to empower MSMEs to expand their reach, streamline customer acquisition, and build future-ready businesses.

Commenting on the platform’s role in empowering Delhi’s SME ecosystem, Mr. Prashant Nagar, Chief Business Officer of Justdial, said:

“Local enterprises are the heartbeat of India’s economy, and online platforms are a critical driver of growth. We’re seeing more and more local businesses take bold steps to grow digitally. What’s encouraging is seeing entrepreneurs use Justdial as their critical growth partner. When our vendors tell us that a large part of their business now comes through enquiries generated on our platform, it reassures us of the impact we have been creating and also encourages us to keep doing more. Our focus has always been simple: connect the right customers to the right businesses, and help entrepreneurs grow and manage their businesses with consistency and confidence.”

As digital adoption accelerates across India’s urban centres, platforms like Justdial are increasingly becoming part of how MSMEs build visibility, generate demand, and participate in the country’s evolving digital economy.

Generali Central Life Insurance Expands into Jhansi, Strengthening Focus on Tier-2 Markets

Generali Central Life Insurance Expands Deeper into Bharat with New Branch in Jhansi, Strengthening Focus on Tier‑2 Markets

Mumbai, Mar 11: Generali Central Life Insurance,formed through the partnership of leading global insurer Generali and Central Bank of India, today announced the opening of its new branch in Jhansi further strengthening the Company’s presence in North India and reinforcing its commitment to expanding life insurance access across high‑potential Tier‑2 and emerging markets in Bharat.

 With this launch, Generali Central Life Insurance now operates 11 branches in Uttar Pradesh and 30 branches across the northern region, significantly enhancing its geographical footprint and customer access.

Uttar Pradesh continues to offer immense growth potential, with rising financial awareness, expanding demand for life insurance solutions within semi-urban and rural areas of the region. The launch of the Jhansi branch underscores the Company’s commitment to reaching deeper into Bharat, enabling last‑mile access, and serving markets where the need for protection‑led financial planning is rapidly accelerating. This expansion aligns with the Company’s strategy to build deeper local connections and offer customised life insurance solutions that are culturally relevant and accessible at the grassroots level. The Company is also building a future‑ready agency network, enabling deeper penetration through trusted, trained local advisors who understand regional needs and unlock new customer potential.

Commenting on the launch of the branch, Mr. Alok Rungta, Managing Director & CEO, Generali Central Life Insurance said:

“Our new branch in Jhansi reinforces our commitment to expanding our footprint in Bharat, especially in markets beyond metros where life insurance awareness and growth potential are rapidly accelerating. To reach Bharat meaningfully, we must be present on ground, closer to communities, with financial solutions that matter. This expansion strengthens our ability to tap into the region’s unrealized potential, broaden our reach, and ensure protection‑led solutions are truly accessible across the region.”

HMD Announces Strategic Collaboration with Flipkart; First Launch of Its 2026 Smartphone Line-Up in India

New Delhi, Mar 11: Human Mobile Devices (HMD) and Flipkart announced a strategic collaboration to bring HMD’s 2026 smartphone line-up to consumers in India. As part of this partnership, HMD’s first smartphone launch in India for 2026 will take place on Flipkart, which will serve as a key e-commerce partner alongside other leading online and retail channels.

 HMD has been steadily strengthening its presence in India with a focus on human-centric design, durability, repairability, and the democratization of AI-led experiences across its portfolio. The launch of HMD’s first smartphone of 2026 under this partnership represents an important milestone in its India growth journey. By utilizing Flipkart’s deep understanding of Indian consumers, robust supply chain capabilities, and scale, HMD aims to make its upcoming devices more accessible and affordable across metro cities as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

HMD will introduce smartphones across key price segments (10K to 20K), catering to India’s diverse and rapidly evolving usage needs, focusing on consumers seeking reliability, affordability, and meaningful AI-powered experiences. The first HMD smartphone of 2026 under this is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, followed by a phased rollout of multiple devices over the next 2–4 months, as both organizations come together to deliver a diverse range of smartphones catering to the evolving needs of Indian consumers. Further details on product specifications, pricing, availability, and consumer programs will be revealed closer to launch.

Ravi Kunwar, CEO and VP, HMD India and APAC, commented on the:

““We are excited to collaborate with Flipkart as one of our key e-commerce partners as we gear up to launch the first HMD smartphone of 2026 in India. Flipkart’s extensive reach and strong consumer connect will play an important role in bringing our latest innovation to customers across the country. As part of our broader distribution strategy, Flipkart serving as a key e-commerce partner alongside other retail channel., as we continue to deliver human-centered design and accessible technology to more consumers.”

Commenting on this, Ajay Veer Yadav, Senior Vice President, Flipkart said:

“Flipkart remains focused on enabling India’s digital ambitions by ensuring customers have access to the latest mobile innovations. Our strategic collaboration with HMD brings their upcoming smartphone portfolio to millions of consumers across the country. With our expansive distribution network and flexible affordability offerings, we are well-positioned to make cutting-edge devices more accessible and inclusive. Together, we aim to accelerate HMD’s growth in India while delivering a superior experience to customers.”

The upcoming launches reflect the evolving needs of Indian smartphone users, where affordability and differentiated experiences increasingly shape buying decisions. Through this, HMD aims to build sustained momentum by combining thoughtful product positioning with broad market access.

Gifts World & Paperworld Mumbai 2026 Conclude with Strong Industry Response

Mumbai,  Mar 11: The 2026 editions of Gifts World Expo Mumbai co-located with Paperworld Mumbai concluded on a high note at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Resulting in a strong industry convergence, the shows brought together 425 exhibitors and over 23,485 visitors across all three days. The collocated shows attracted attendees from PAN India states. A key highlight is the growing attendance of the international visitors this from 37 countries at this edition, marking a strong interest and trust of overseas buyers in the Indian market.

 Presented alongside one another, the two platforms transformed Halls 2 and 3 of Bombay Exhibition Centre into a dynamic B2B marketplace spanning corporate gifting, lifestyle merchandise, stationery, office supplies, educational products, paper goods and creative materials and more.  

Participation from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the UK reinforced India’s growing integration within global sourcing networks.

Across three days, retailers, wholesalers, procurement heads, distributors, importers, e-commerce operators and institutional buyers engaged in structured sourcing discussions and expansion planning. The simultaneous staging of both exhibitions enabled seamless movement between complementary segments, allowing corporate buyers to evaluate gifting portfolios alongside stationery, writing instruments and packaging solutions within a unified business environment.

Gifts World Expo Mumbai showcased an expansive range of corporate, festive, wedding and premium gifting solutions, including electronics, homeware, wellness assortments, gourmet selections, customised merchandise and sustainable products. Paperworld Mumbai presented innovations in paper, office and school supplies, writing instruments, arts and crafts materials, educational toys and creative learning tools. Visitors also experienced eco-conscious stationery, personalised planners, premium pens, inventive packaging formats and bulk customisation capabilities.

Experiential features amplified engagement on the show floor. A live papermaking workshop by Kagazipura demonstrated traditional techniques using recycled rags, highlighting circular production practices. The Sustainability Innovation Hub and Startup Zone spotlighted emerging entrepreneurs and environmentally responsible innovations. Educational toy exhibitors presented robotics kits, STEM learning modules and DIY science products aligned with evolving curricula.

Knowledge programming under “Gift Talks” and “Paper Talks” addressed commercial realities across wedding gifting, export opportunities, employee engagement programs, university merchandise, packaging strategy, youth hobby markets and stationery design psychology. A dedicated session by Times NIE explored the role of AI in education, while The Grand Brush Off” brought artists together in a live creative showcase making the showfloor all the more engaging and creative.

Industry associations including the Pen & Stationery Association of India, Surat Stationery Merchants Association, Tamil Nadu Pen Manufacturers and Dealers Association and the Corporate Gifting Association of India, extended institutional backing to the platform.

India’s underlying market fundamentals continue to support sustained expansion. According to IMARC Group data cited ahead of the exhibition, the Indian school stationery supplies market is projected to reach USD 4,001 million by 2034, while the gifting market is expected to touch USD 1.05 billion by 2033. Conversations on the show floor reflected optimism around private labelling, product differentiation, sustainability mandates and export linkages.

Reflecting on the show’s trajectory, Ms Himani Gulati, Director, MEX Exhibitions Pvt Ltd, observed that the 2026 edition marked a decisive phase for integrated sourcing in India. She noted, “Buyer intent was sharply defined, with corporates arriving prepared with procurement calendars and retailers focused on portfolio diversification. Presenting both exhibitions together has strengthened commercial efficiency by allowing participants to evaluate adjacent categories in one visit.” She emphasised that curated conference tracks, sustainability showcases and the startup platform created practical value for stakeholders seeking relevance and scale. “The Mumbai edition has matured into a strategic meeting ground aligned with procurement cycles and long-term partnerships,” she added.

From a global vantage point, Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director & Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings Ltd, highlighted the expanding international participation and the rising competitiveness of Indian manufacturers. He remarked, “The exhibition floor demonstrated strong product maturity across different product categories at both the shows like writing instruments, paper products, educational toys and sustainable gifting and corporate merchandise.” He pointed to structured buyer engagement and cross-border sourcing enquiries as indicators of commercial depth. In his assessment, India’s manufacturing capabilities, combined with design-led innovation and export readiness, position these platforms as significant gateways within Messe Frankfurt’s international consumer goods portfolio, linking domestic enterprises with broader Asian and European markets.

The successful conclusion of Gifts World Expo Mumbai and Paperworld Mumbai 2026 signals sustained demand for integrated trade platforms that connect complementary industries. With cross-category collaboration, international sourcing and knowledge-led engagement at its core, the exhibitions have reinforced Mumbai’s role as a high-value commercial hub for India’s gifting, paper and stationery sectors.

The events are jointly organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India and MEX Exhibitions Pvt Ltd. Paperworld Mumbai co-located with Gifts World Expo Mumbai 2026 promises to be a definitive platform for India’s gifting and stationery industries.

Skyhawk Appoints Aaron Deves as Chief Commercial Officer to Lead Commercialization of SKY-0515 for Huntington’s Disease

Industry veteran brings more than 30 years of experience launching therapies for neurological diseases, including Huntington’s disease, and will prepare Skyhawk for the launch of SKY-0515 as early as 2027.

BOSTON, Mar 11 — Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel small molecule therapies to modulate critical RNA targets for a series of challenging neurological diseases, announces the appointment of Aaron Deves as Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Deves brings more than 30 years of experience commercializing therapies for neurological disorders, including for chorea associated with Huntington’s disease (HD) with AUSTEDO^®. SKY-0515 is Skyhawk’s lead program and is being developed as a potential disease-modifying therapy for Huntington’s disease.

 

“Skyhawk may receive accelerated approval for SKY-0515 in Australia within the next twelve months, and in other major markets during 2027,” said Bill Haney, CEO of Skyhawk Therapeutics. “Aaron’s 30 years of experience successfully building commercial teams and launching innovative drugs for challenging neurological conditions helps prepare Skyhawk to bring a much-needed disease-modifying treatment to patients with Huntington’s disease as quickly as possible – pending additional clinical results and regulatory approvals.”

“I am incredibly excited to join Skyhawk,” said Aaron Deves, Chief Commercial Officer of Skyhawk Therapeutics. “Skyhawk’s Huntington’s disease program can be the cornerstone of a powerful commercial neuro business.  And the company’s rich pre-clinical pipeline of RNA targeting drug programs addresses the most impressive set of challenging neurological conditions I’ve seen in my career – and does so with small molecules that are often the most patient friendly modality. I’m thrilled to join the company to prepare for the launch of SKY-0515 and to help ensure the broadest number of patients can access this important therapy.“

Bharat Intelligence Names Anurag Bisoi as CPO to Scale Rural Labour Platform

Mar, 11: Bharat Intelligence, an agritech start up building a formal and dignified marketplace for agricultural labour, has appointed Anurag Bisoi as its Chief Product Officer. The appointment marks a significant step in the company’s journey from early execution to large-scale productisation across rural labour markets.

Anurag joins Bharat Intelligence as a seasoned entrepreneur and product builder. He previously co-founded Animall, one of India’s largest dairy technology platforms, where he led product architecture and growth. Under the founding team’s leadership, Animall scaled to over 10 million downloads, digitising a highly fragmented ecosystem of dairy farmers across the country.

He built products for low-literacy, vernacular-first users operating in informal markets  designing intuitive workflows that drove adoption in some of India’s most underserved regions. The platform went on to raise over ₹200 crore in institutional funding and scale nationwide.

Beyond Animall, Anurag has worked at the intersection of product, infrastructure and emerging technology, consistently focusing on building systems that operate reliably in complex, offline-first environments.

At Bharat Intelligence, Anurag will focus on converting on-ground execution into repeatable, measurable and scalable product infrastructure. As the company expands across districts and crops, it is transitioning from founder-led operations to deeply systemised product architecture — enabling scale without operational chaos.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Azhaan Merchant, said,

“Anurag has built for Bharat at scale. Getting to 10 million downloads in a rural, low-literacy ecosystem is not marketing — it is product clarity. As we scale our labour grid across Maharashtra, we need discipline in product design, distribution mechanics, and user simplicity. Anurag brings exactly that.”

Mr. Gourav Sanghai, added,

“We have proven demand, supply and execution capability, so the next chapter for Bharat Intelligence is about scale. Now we must build durable product layers that allow us to scale to lacs of workers and farmers without friction. Anurag’s experience in marketplace architecture and rural product design will be critical.”

Speaking on his new role, Mr. Anurag Bisoi said,

“India’s rural markets do not need more apps. They need products that work reliably, simply and predictably. Bharat Intelligence is building infrastructure for a workforce that has never been formally organised. The challenge is to create systems that are intuitive and can scale without losing trust.”

With this appointment, Bharat Intelligence reinforces its commitment to building disciplined product systems for India’s offline economy — combining operational depth with scalable architecture to formalise one of the world’s largest informal workforces.

MoldStud: IT Expertise from Moldova for the USA, Europe, and the Middle East

Chișinău, Moldova, Mar 11: The IT sector in Republic of Moldova continues to demonstrate its growing global competitiveness, with companies such as MoldStud delivering advanced software solutions for clients across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Founded in 2019 in Chișinău, the company began with a small team and a clear vision—to build internationally competitive software solutions designed primarily for global markets. Despite entering an already competitive industry, the organization focused on delivering innovative and scalable technology solutions for international clients from the outset.

“Everything started with two clients – one from the USA in the FinTech sector and another from Spain in Healthcare. These were two mature markets with high standards. Initially, we planned to focus mainly on the financial sector, but we quickly realized that success comes from the ability to deliver value across industries,” said Vasile Crudu, CEO and founder of MoldStud.

Growth During Global Disruption

Shortly after its founding, the company faced the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While many organizations struggled to adapt to remote work models, demand for reliable and well-structured remote development teams increased significantly.

During this period, MoldStud leveraged its expertise in remote collaboration to expand rapidly. The team grew from five specialists in 2019 to 20 professionals in 2020, and continued expanding over the next two years, reaching 84 specialists. The company broadened its expertise across industries including FinTech, Banking, Video Streaming, Real Estate, Small Aviation, and E-commerce.

Organizational Adaptation and Global Portfolio

Operating within a global environment shaped by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges, the company has focused on maintaining strong relationships with international clients while optimizing its internal structure. Today, the organization employs 78 specialists and maintains a diversified portfolio spanning North America, Europe, and the Middle East, demonstrating the resilience and competitiveness of Moldova’s IT sector.

Export-Oriented Business Model

From its inception, MoldStud was designed as a globally oriented company. Currently, approximately 98.5% of its business is export-focused, with only about 1.5% of revenue generated from the domestic Moldovan market.

The company’s client portfolio is geographically distributed as follows:

• ~50% USA and Canada

• 40% Europe

• 10% Middle East

Services are delivered to clients in countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates. This global presence is supported by internationally recognized certifications and industry standards, particularly important for sectors such as fintech and healthcare where data security and operational quality are critical.

Expanding Visibility in the Nordic Region

A significant milestone in MoldStud’s international development has been its participation in the TechStep Sweden initiative and attendance at TechArena, one of the most influential technology events in the Nordic region.

With support from the Invest Moldova Agency, the company gained exposure to Sweden’s technology ecosystem and new opportunities for partnerships and networking. Although MoldStud had previously collaborated with Swedish partners, participation in TechStep Sweden significantly strengthened its brand visibility and market positioning.

Moldova’s Growing IT Export Sector

The growth of MoldStud reflects the broader expansion of Moldova’s technology industry. In the first nine months of 2025, service exports accounted for over 47% of the country’s total exports of goods and services, marking a 15.5% increase compared to 2024 and nearly tripling since 2020.

IT services alone recorded 23.2% growth, reaching approximately $600 million, with more than 88% of the sector’s output directed toward international markets.

The IT industry contributes 7.1% to Moldova’s GDP and employs over 30,000 professionals. A key driver of this growth has been the Moldova Innovation & Technology Park (MITP), which offers a competitive 7% single tax regime guaranteed until 2035, along with benefits such as virtual office services and IT visas that support international companies and professionals.

Future Strategy

Looking ahead, MoldStud plans to further strengthen its presence in North America and Europe, with a strategic focus on the Nordic region, particularly Sweden. The company is also prioritizing the integration of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies into both internal workflows and client solutions to remain competitive in global markets.

“Our duty is to make the future possible, not to predict it,” added Crudu.

As MoldStud continues its expansion, the company’s journey highlights Moldova’s growing capability to deliver high-value IT services and compete successfully in some of the world’s most advanced technology markets.

One Inc Appoints Fintech Transformation Leader Bryan Thompson as New CTO

Fintech and SaaS veteran with more than 30 years of experience to lead company’s technology initiatives

FOLSOM, Calif. — March 11 — One Inc, the leading digital payments network for the insurance industry, today announced the appointment of fintech transformation leader Bryan Thompson as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). With deep payments expertise, Thompson will lead the vision, strategy, and development of One Inc’s technology. He will oversee the company’s global IT roadmap, innovation initiatives, and enterprise security.

Bryan is an expert in fintech and SaaS transformations, with more than 30 years of experience building high-performing organizations focused on innovation and operational excellence. He has a proven track record in technology development, security, and large-scale platform modernization. Across enterprise and startup environments, Thompson has led financial services and SaaS companies through acquisitions, integrations, and major change initiatives. He has also built data and AI platforms that accelerate growth while improving customer experience, efficiency, and reliability.

Prior to joining One Inc, he served as CTO of professional business platform 8am (formerly AffiniPay), where he helped drive rapid SaaS growth and navigated multiple strategic acquisitions. He also served as CTO at Heartland Payment Systems, where he modernized merchant services for businesses across key sectors. Earlier in his career at EDS, Thompson built expertise in high-volume transaction processing—experience that aligns with One Inc’s mission to process complex insurance payments securely, reliably, and at scale.

“We’re pleased to welcome Bryan to our growing team of Onesters as we advance our mission to create a unified digital payments network that connects the insurance ecosystem,” said Ian Drysdale, CEO at One Inc. “Bryan’s track record leading technology development, engineering, security, and infrastructure will be critical as we build new capabilities that allow carriers to operate more efficiently and deliver on the promise of insurance.”

“Through their relentless dedication to the insurance industry, One Inc has built a reputation for delivering revolutionary solutions that enable a traditional industry to meet the rapidly evolving expectations of today’s policyholders,” added Thompson. “I look forward to working with Ian and the entire team at One Inc to build on this momentum, as carriers adopt technologies that improve operational efficiency and deliver modern, seamless experiences for policyholders.”

Rackspace and Uniphore Announce Strategic Partnership

San Antonio, TX, March 10, 2026 — Rackspace Technology® (NASDAQ: RXT), a leading hybrid multicloud and AI solutions company, today announced a strategic partnership with Uniphore, the Business AI leader backed by NVIDIA and AMD, to deliver the industry’s first Infrastructure-to-Agents architecture, offered as an outcomes-based service. The partnership reflects a shared ambition to unlock $100 million in enterprise AI deployments as customers move from AI experimentation to production at scale, without sacrificing governance, security, or control. This is especially relevant for regulated industries where choice, security and sovereignty are non-negotiable requirements.

Operationalizing AI in production remains a challenge due to the complexity of choices across the stack. By integrating Uniphore’s Business AI Cloud with Rackspace’s private cloud infrastructure, Rackspace will deliver a full-stack secure and governed AI private cloud that includes: advanced inferencing capable of running on both NVIDIA and AMD compute architectures; Data Preparation-as-a-Service; fine-tuned Small Language Models (SLMs)-as-a-Service; and industry-specific AI agents-as-a-Service.

“For the first time, enterprises in regulated industries do not have to choose between moving fast on AI and maintaining the governance and control their business requires. Rackspace is taking on that accountability,” said Gajen Kandiah, CEO of Rackspace Technology.  “We are not just providing infrastructure, we are committing to outcomes, and that changes the nature of the relationship between a technology partner and an enterprise customer.” For enterprises, the conversation has shifted from choosing between GPUs and CPUs, or open versus proprietary Large Language Models (LLMs), to driving measurable business outcomes.

Through this partnership, Rackspace brings deep expertise operating private clouds and optimizing public environments, backed by forward-deployed engineers. These forward-deployed engineers, embedded directly in customer environments, are trained on the Uniphore platform and accountable for delivering measurable outcomes from day one. The architecture is designed to extend across hybrid and public cloud environments, ensuring that enterprises with mixed deployment models can access the same governed, outcomes-based AI stack without compromise. The result is an end-to-end governed operating model delivering an outcomes-based service with control, accountability and measurable results.

“Business AI Cloud adoption is seeing exponential growth globally due to its sovereign and open architecture and what enterprises are telling us is that they need business outcomes. Rackspace’s adoption of Uniphore’s Business AI Cloud allows our customers to access all five layers of our offering spanning Inferencing, Data, Knowledge, Model, and Agents, on Rackspace’s secure and governed enterprise AI private cloud. For customers looking for sovereign AI solutions, this is a game changer,” said Umesh Sachdev, CEO and Co-founder of Uniphore.

Rackspace has over 20,000 mid-market and enterprise customers spanning industries such as healthcare, financial services, insurance and others. Additionally, Uniphore will move select enterprise inferencing workloads to Rackspace’s private cloud to deliver a Sovereign AI offering.

“This Rackspace–Uniphore deal packs real punch for organizations struggling to get beyond AI pilot mode”, said David Cushman, Executive Research Leader, HFS Research. “It couples Uniphore’s ‘get-you-going-fast’ AI platform with a Forward-Deployed Engineer (FDE)-style delivery model and governed private cloud, that gets you to value fast, but with control. That’s something most mid-market organizations simply don’t have and will be particularly welcome in regulated industries.”

“While the drive to scale AI across enterprise systems is high, many organizations find their progress stalled by the dual challenges of technical complexity and regulatory compliance,” said Brian Jones, Chief Information Officer of Valley Medical Center. “It is a significant milestone to see Rackspace and Uniphore join forces. This partnership can be a game changer for organizations in highly regulated sectors, providing a robust framework to scale AI and extract tangible value from complex data landscapes.”

For customers, this partnership will deliver:

• From AI pilot to production at scale: Most enterprises are stuck running AI experiments that never make it to production. This partnership delivers a unified, governed environment spanning infrastructure all the way to agents, enabling the path from pilot to production to be measured in weeks, rather than years.
• Data that is ready for AI: Most enterprises have data, but not in a form that AI can use. Uniphore’s data agents accelerate modernization, so enterprise data is structured, clean, and ready to power real workflows, without a multi-year transformation program standing in the way.
• Industry-specific AI that teams can easily deploy: Pre-packaged solutions built on SLMs and agentic workflows provide business teams with a faster path to automation, with governance built in from the start.
• The right compute at the right cost: Enterprises no longer have to over-provision or lock into a single architecture. Rackspace optimizes CPU and GPU environments, enabling each workload to run efficiently.