FutureSites Innovation Program
Solving Retail's Biggest Challenges with the FutureSites Innovation Program
FutureSites is a joint initiative between CII CIES and a leading retail corporate partner designed to accelerate innovative retail technologies in India.
Last date to apply: 15 Feb 2026
The program enables startups to work on live operational challenges across store efficiency, modern infrastructure, and AI-powered customer engagement, helping them validate, pilot, and scale their solutions in real environments.
Challenge 1: Agentic Store Operations Platform
Current Challenge:
Current store operations depend heavily on manual efforts, static rules, and human intervention, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistent execution. Stores need real-time, autonomous decision-making supported by sensor data, IoT devices, and integrated systems.
Our Vision:
Create an intelligent, autonomous platform that empowers frontline store teams. Imagine a system where agents continuously observe, interpret, and act on store conditions - optimizing inventory, maintenance, safety, and workflows - freeing staff to focus on delivering exceptional customer service.
Startup Focus Areas:
Current store operations depend heavily on manual efforts, static rules, and human intervention, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistent execution. Stores need real-time, autonomous decision-making supported by sensor data, IoT devices, and integrated systems.
Our Vision:
Create an intelligent, autonomous platform that empowers frontline store teams. Imagine a system where agents continuously observe, interpret, and act on store conditions - optimizing inventory, maintenance, safety, and workflows - freeing staff to focus on delivering exceptional customer service.
Startup Focus Areas:
- Developing agentic intelligence for autonomous observation and action
- Harnessing real-time insights from store sensors and systems
- Automating and optimizing workflows like replenishment, maintenance, and scheduling
- Enabling human-agent collaboration for faster decision-making
- Seamless integration with existing store and IoT systems
Challenge 2: Modernized, Observable Store & Head Office Infrastructure
Challenge:
Legacy, siloed systems for pricing, inventory, invoicing, and financials are costly, complex, and limit real-time visibility. This hampers agility and operational efficiency.
Our Vision:
Build a modular, lightweight, and fully observable infrastructure that simplifies operations, enhances visibility, and supports rapid innovation across stores and head office.
Startup Focus Areas:
Legacy, siloed systems for pricing, inventory, invoicing, and financials are costly, complex, and limit real-time visibility. This hampers agility and operational efficiency.
Our Vision:
Build a modular, lightweight, and fully observable infrastructure that simplifies operations, enhances visibility, and supports rapid innovation across stores and head office.
Startup Focus Areas:
- Creating interoperable, modular components to replace legacy systems
- Delivering end-to-end observability for infrastructure health and performance
- Facilitating real-time data integration between store and head office systems
- Developing cost-effective, flexible operational models
- Standardized APIs for partner and dealer integrations
Challenge 3: AI-Enabled Customer 360 Personalization & Offers
Challenge:
Fragmented customer data across channels limits personalized engagement. Relying on broad segments and generic offers reduces relevance and affects margins.
Our Vision:
Deliver a seamless, personalized experience that recognizes customers across all channels—fueling, charging, shopping, and digital services—creating meaningful, context-aware interactions.
Startup Focus Areas:
Fragmented customer data across channels limits personalized engagement. Relying on broad segments and generic offers reduces relevance and affects margins.
Our Vision:
Deliver a seamless, personalized experience that recognizes customers across all channels—fueling, charging, shopping, and digital services—creating meaningful, context-aware interactions.
Startup Focus Areas:
- Building a unified, privacy-safe customer identity across channels
- Creating real-time, enriched Customer 360 profiles with behavioral and contextual signals
- Developing AI-driven personalized offers, recommendations, and next-best actions
- Connecting fragmented customer journeys into seamless, multi-channel experiences
- Ensuring scalable integration with internal systems and external partners for real-time personalization
Why Join the FutureSites Innovation Program?
FutureSites Innovation Program is designed for startups that are ready to scale - not just experiment. By working on clearly-defined business challenges with an enterprise partner, startups gain a faster path to market access, validation and revenue.
Startups selected for the programme benefit from:
- Higher pilot conversion probability
- Faster path to paid deployments
- Hands-on product and GTM guidance from CXOs and technology leaders
- Nationwide rollout potential
- Structured validation and credibility
Who Should Apply
Applications from high-potential startups building scalable technology solutions.
Ideal applicants should meet most of the following:
- Your solution directly addresses the defined problem statements.
- Your product is already tested or in early deployments.
- Founders or team members with relevant domain expertiseYour solution is built to scale technically, operationally and commercially.
- Ready to run a pilot within 6-12 months
Timelines
Call for Applications
January 2025
Screening & Shortlisting
February 2025
Founder Discussions & Evaluation
February 2025
Final Selection & Onboarding
March 2025
Demo Day
2nd Week of April
FAQs
Is there any fee to apply or participate?
No - there is no application or participation fee.
Can I submit more than one solution?
Yes - multiple applications are allowed if your startup solves more than one challenge area.
Can international startups apply?
Yes - provided you can operate or deploy pilots in India.
Will the program take equity?
No equity is taken for participation in the program unless separately structured through a mutually agreed investment.
Who can I contact for support or clarification?
You may write to Ms Priyanka Mukhija (priyanka.mukhija@cii.in) for any clarity.
For more information, please write to:
Ms Priyanka Mukhija
priyanka.mukhija@cii.in
priyanka.mukhija@cii.in
