# Alexei Agratchev

> Alexei Agratchev is the co-founder and CEO of RetailNext. Born in Moscow and educated in the United States, he worked at Accenture and Cisco before co-founding the retail analytics business in 2007. His public interviews and writing emphasize curiosity, customer relationships, operational discipline, and using technology to improve physical stores.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at RetailNext
- **Organizations:** RetailNext, Cisco Systems, Accenture
- **From:** Moscow, Russia
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Middlesex School, Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, magna cum laude, Claremont McKenna College, Executive Program (non-degree), Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded and continues to lead RetailNext., Named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list., Led RetailNext through a shift toward subscription revenue and reported profitability.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Moved from Moscow to attend Middlesex School in Massachusetts.
- **1999** — Graduated from Claremont McKenna College; subsequently worked at Accenture.
- **2000-2007** — Worked at Cisco Systems, including leading an internal venture in video applications.
- **2007** — Co-founded the business that became RetailNext with Marlie Liu and Arun Nair.
- **2022** — RetailNext acquired Ipsos Retail Performance.
- **2025** — RetailNext announced a majority growth investment from Battery Ventures.
- **2026** — Published an essay on specialist AI tools, reliable physical data, and the role of store managers.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and continues to lead RetailNext.
- Named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
- Led RetailNext through a shift toward subscription revenue and reported profitability.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Participated in a published conversation with Pine59 co-founder Thomas Walle about joining in-store and external location intelligence.
- **2026-08** — Published “Thoughts on AI in Retail: Reflections on Analytics, Human Error, and the Value of Experience” on LinkedIn.
- **2025-05** — Discussed acquisition priorities and store operations in a citybiz interview.
- **2025-01** — Welcomed Battery Ventures’ majority growth investment in RetailNext.

## Links

- Website: https://retailnext.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeiagratchev

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alexei-agratchev
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25