TLDR: MIXI Global Investments and Eximius Ventures are co-hosting ‘Cities Connect: AI x Consumer 2025,’ a multi-city event series designed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between founders, investors, and operators in the AI and consumer technology sectors. The series will take place in Gurgaon, Pune, and Hyderabad in August 2025, aiming to address the rapid integration of AI into consumer products and the growth of India’s digital economy.
Gurgaon, Pune, and Hyderabad are set to host ‘Cities Connect: AI x Consumer 2025,’ an exclusive multi-city event series presented by MIXI Global Investments and Eximius Ventures. This initiative aims to unite prominent figures, including founders, investors, and operators, who are at the forefront of developing AI-driven consumer products. The series is scheduled for August 2025, with events in Gurgaon on August 6, Pune on August 12, and Hyderabad on August 13. Each session will run from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, focusing on advancing collaboration within the startup and investment communities operating at the intersection of AI and consumer technology.
Artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping how consumers interact with technology, driving advancements in personalization, intent prediction, and immersive experiences that often operate seamlessly in the background. ‘Cities Connect’ seeks to explore these transformative shifts and bring together the key players shaping this evolving ecosystem.
India’s AI market is projected to reach a valuation of $17 billion by 2027, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 20%. Concurrently, the nation’s digital economy is anticipated to surpass $1 trillion by 2030, largely propelled by the widespread adoption of digital services and mobile-first consumer behaviors. These significant trends highlight the critical need for platforms that facilitate knowledge exchange and provide access to capital for innovators in this dynamic sector.
The event agenda includes market context presentations, thematic discussions, and curated networking opportunities. A notable segment will be the ‘VC and Knowledge Exchange’ block, featuring concise ‘reverse pitches’ from venture funds detailing their investment theses, alongside short talks from founders and investors sharing market insights and practical growth strategies. These sessions will conclude with targeted Q&A and networking opportunities.
Tomoharu Urabe, Managing Director of Investment at MIXI Global Investments, emphasized the global shift: “Globally, consumer-tech founders are not just applying AI—they’re building AI-native teams, operations and products with clear leverage. We’re excited to co-host Cities Connect to contribute to the ecosystem across cities and explore this AI x Consumer shift in India more deeply.”
Pearl Agarwal, Founder and Managing Partner at Eximius Ventures, highlighted the event’s purpose: “We’re past the demo stage. India’s consumer internet leaders are already layering AI into personalisation, support automation, credit risk, and commerce conversion, but most early teams lack structured feedback loops from scaled operators and capital partners. Cities Connect is our way of closing that gap by creating a space where real conversations, actionable insights, and the right capital come together to help founders build enduring, AI-driven consumer businesses.”
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MIXI Global Investments, the corporate venture capital arm of MIXI, Inc., focuses on startups in Digital Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Sports. Eximius Ventures is a pre-seed stage VC fund that invests in disruptive founders across Fintech, AI/SaaS, and ConsumerTech sectors.
