# Purva Gupta

> Purva Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of Lily AI, the Mountain View-based AI platform that bridges the gap between how retailers describe products and how consumers actually search for them. Founded in 2015 after her own frustrating experience shopping online as a newly arrived immigrant from India, Gupta built Lily AI into an enterprise-grade solution serving major retailers including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, J.Crew, and thredUP. The company has raised $62 million in total funding, achieved triple-digit year-over-year growth, and is recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company. A Tory Burch Fellow, Ad Age Leading Women honoree, EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and venture partner at Unshackled Ventures, Gupta has become a prominent voice in retail AI and immigrant entrepreneurship.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Lily AI
- **Organizations:** Lily AI, Unshackled Ventures, YPO (Young Presidents' Organization)
- **From:** Rajasthan, India
- **Nationality:** Indian-American
- **Education:** MBA, Finance, Indian School of Business, Bachelor's in Economics, Shri Ram College of Commerce, India
- **Known for:** Co-founded Lily AI in 2015, growing it to serve major retailers including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, J.Crew, and thredUP, Raised $62M in total funding including a $20M Series B-1 round in March 2024, Achieved triple-digit year-over-year growth; customer base quadrupled in 18 months post-Series B

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Joined Saatchi & Saatchi, developed passion for retail working on P&G accounts
- **Pre-2015** — Joined Eko, a Gates Foundation-funded branchless banking and mobile payments platform for the unbanked
- **Pre-2015** — Worked at UNICEF Ventures' Innovation Fund, investing in life-saving apps and technologies
- **2015** — Co-founded Lily AI with Sowmiya Chocka Narayanan in Mountain View, California
- **2019** — Named a Tory Burch Fellow
- **2022** — Appeared in major publications including The New York Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg
- **2023** — Appeared on Bloomberg Markets: The Close to discuss Lily AI's technology
- **2024-03** — Led Lily AI's $20M Series B-1 funding round, bringing total funding to $62M
- **2024-04** — Named to Inc.'s 2024 Female Founders 250 list
- **2024** — Honored as Ad Age Leading Women 2024
- **2024** — Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Bay Area finalist
- **2024** — Recognized as Top AI Leader in Retail by RETHINK Retail's AiR program
- **2024** — Lily AI ranked #187 on Deloitte Technology Fast 500
- **Ongoing** — Serves as Venture Partner at Unshackled Ventures, mentoring immigrant founders

## Achievements

- Co-founded Lily AI in 2015, growing it to serve major retailers including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, J.Crew, and thredUP
- Raised $62M in total funding including a $20M Series B-1 round in March 2024
- Achieved triple-digit year-over-year growth; customer base quadrupled in 18 months post-Series B
- Named to Inc.'s Female Founders 250 list (2024)
- Honored as Ad Age Leading Women 2024
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Bay Area finalist
- Tory Burch Fellow (2019)
- Recognized as Top AI Leader in Retail by RETHINK Retail (2024)
- Lily AI ranked #187 on Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2024)
- Contributor to The New York Times, The Economist, and Bloomberg
- Venture Partner at Unshackled Ventures supporting immigrant founders
- Member of YPO global leadership community
- Navigated 6 different US visa statuses over 4 years while building Lily AI
- Drives upwards of nine-figure revenue improvements for retail clients through AI product attribution

## Latest updates

- **2024-03** — Lily AI closed a $20M Series B-1 funding round led by Conductive Ventures, bringing total funding to $62M
- **2024-04** — Named to Inc.'s 2024 Female Founders 250 list alongside co-founder Sowmiya Chocka Narayanan
- **2024** — Honored as Ad Age Leading Women 2024 and named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Bay Area finalist
- **2024** — Lily AI ranked #187 on Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list of fastest-growing companies in North America
- **2026** — Featured as speaker at World Retail Congress 2026

## Links

- Website: https://lily.ai
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/purvagupta
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/purvagupta10
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetLilyapp/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/purva-gupta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-24