An AI-driven consumer intelligence & research platform
Former Kantar Managing Director to lead next phase of enterprise growth; the platform surpasses 150+ enterprise clients in under 18 months, delivering quantitative and qualitative research at scale.
India, April 20th, 2026: Smytten today announced the appointment of Shishir Varma as Chief Executive Officer of PulseAI Research Powered by Smytten, its AI-driven consumer intelligence and research platform. This leadership move marks a significant milestone as the company accelerates its mission to transform how brands access and generate actionable insights. Shishir brings over 30 years of global experience in consumer insights, having led both small and large P&L businesses across APAC, India, China, and Japan. Most recently, he served as Managing Director, Insights at Kantar Japan, and has deep expertise across consumer companies. He is widely regarded for translating data into sharp business decisions and has worked closely with CXOs across the companies. He also brings a strong builder mindset, having been instrumental in setting up and scaling Millward Brown in India.
“Consumer research has been constrained by speed, scale, and the authenticity of data. With PulseAI Research, we’re fundamentally rethinking that model by combining real product interactions with AI-led insights to create a more reliable and dynamic understanding of consumers. What excites me the most is the ability to tap into observed behavior and unlock insights that are not just faster, but significantly more predictive and actionable.
We believe the future of consumer intelligence will be built on real-world interactions at scale, not just surveys. PulseAI Research represents a new category where AI meets live consumer behavior, enabling brands to make sharper, more confident decisions in days, not weeks. The opportunity to build this intelligence layer-powered by millions of authentic product experiences and translate it into meaningful outcomes for brands, is incredibly compelling.” said Shishir Varma, CEO, PulseAI Research.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shishir as the CEO of PulseAI Research. He is highly relevant for where we are taking this platform, given his deep grounding in insights and analytics, strong credibility with brands, and proven ability to scale data-led platforms globally. He has the rare combination of a builder’s mindset and large-company experience, having set up and grown Millward Brown (now part of Kantar) in India from scratch. We are confident that he will help us disrupt the consumer intelligence space and evolve PulseAI Research into a category-leading, AI-driven intelligence engine.” said Siddhartha Nangia, Co-founder, Smytten and PulseAI Research.
Formerly known as Smytten PulseAI, the platform has been rebranded to PulseAI Research to reflect a sharper focus on combining AI-powered research, real consumer behaviour, and always-on insights. The evolution signals a shift from traditional, project-based research to a more agile, intelligence-led model that integrates both quantitative and qualitative research at scale.
In under 18 months, PulseAI Research has partnered with 150+ enterprise clients across industries. This rapid adoption highlights a growing demand among brands for faster, more reliable alternatives to conventional research approaches.
Built on Real Consumer Behaviour at Unprecedented Scale
At the core of the platform is Smytten’s ecosystem of 30 million users, built over a decade of high-intent consumer engagement, product discovery, and purchase behaviour.
Unlike traditional research panels that rely on claimed responses, PulseAI Research provides access to observed, real-world consumer behaviour at a scale rarely seen in the market. This enables brands to derive deeper, more accurate insights by bridging the gap between what consumers say and what they actually do.
AI-Powered Research with Speed and Agility
The platform combines behavioural data with advanced AI and large language model (LLM)-driven analysis to deliver:
● Real-time consumer sentiment and perception analysis
● Scalable qualitative insight generation
● Faster, high-quality quantitative research
● Continuous brand and campaign intelligence
This approach enables brands to move from slow, static studies to always-on, agile research, significantly reducing turnaround time while improving decision-making clarity. Built on a deeply engaged consumer ecosystem, the platform extends beyond FMCG use cases to deliver insights across sectors such as auto, education, gadgets, and emerging consumer categories, enabling brands to access richer, more contextual intelligence.
PulseAI Research powered by Smytten is an AI-driven consumer intelligence and research business built to help brands make faster, more confident decisions. By combining real consumer behaviour with AI-led analysis and one of India’s largest high-intent consumer ecosystems, it enables brands to uncover deeper insights, test faster, and act with greater precision.
Trusted by 150+ enterprise clients, PulseAI Research helps businesses move from delayed insights to faster, more effective decision-making.
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