US-based consumer insights and market research platform Fuel Cycle is opening a Global Capability Center (GCC) in Navi Mumbai as it expands its technology, artificial intelligence and product development operations in India.
Located in Vashi, the new centre will initially have a planned capacity of 50 employees, with scope to expand over the coming quarters. The facility will serve as a hub for engineering, AI and product development and is expected to become part of Fuel Cycle's broader global technology and product organisation.
The company plans to use the India centre to develop core product capabilities, strengthen its engineering and data infrastructure, and collaborate with teams in the US and other global markets.
Fuel Cycle's platform combines AI with owned customer communities, behavioural and insights data, and research methods spanning quantitative, qualitative and user experience research. The company is working towards developing a more AI-native consumer insights platform that can help enterprises continuously gather and analyse customer information.
As part of the Navi Mumbai expansion, Fuel Cycle plans to recruit talent across artificial intelligence and machine learning, data engineering, product engineering, user experience, research technology and cloud infrastructure.
Over the next three to four years, the GCC is expected to assume greater responsibility for global product development. The company said the centre will support its broader roadmap around AI-powered consumer research and technology development for customers across international markets.
"The way enterprises understand consumers is entering a fundamental transition," said Daryush Laqab, Chief Product and AI Officer at Fuel Cycle. He added that AI is creating opportunities for companies to move from fragmented and point-in-time research towards systems capable of learning continuously and enabling faster decision-making.
Laqab said Fuel Cycle views India as a strategic product and AI hub rather than solely as a delivery location. The company intends to build capabilities across AI, engineering and product development in the country over the coming years.
The Navi Mumbai centre also gives Fuel Cycle access to India's technology and AI talent as it builds products for its global customer base.
The expansion comes as Fuel Cycle develops its technology infrastructure around continuous consumer insights. Its platform is designed to connect customer communities and behavioural data with multiple research methods, allowing organisations to build on information gathered across studies rather than treating individual research projects as standalone exercises.
The new GCC will contribute to this technology roadmap while increasing Fuel Cycle's engineering and product development presence in India.
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