Brands
Eros powers up as USD 150 million boost fuels its AI entertainment play
MUMBAI: In a plot twist worthy of its own cinematic universe, Eros Innovation has fired up its next growth chapter with a USD 150 million burst of capital and strategic acquisitions, a move that cements its standing as a $ 2-billion valued, zero-debt, AI-driven global entertainment powerhouse.
The expansion is anchored by a $ 50 million primary investment led by Plenitude Capital and advised by Greenback Capital at DIFC. Alongside it sits nearly USD 100 million in content and technology acquisitions, creating a formidable runway for Eros Innovation’s ambitions in AI compute infrastructure, immersive story formats, and large-scale creative technologies.
Eros Group Founder and Chairman Kishore Lulla framed the accelerated scale with trademark flourish, “With over $1 billion in assets, $150 million in new capital and acquisitions, $35 million in EBITDA last year, and a clear trajectory to exceed $100 million by December 2026, Eros Innovation is scaling with both profitability and discipline. We are building the sovereign creative infrastructure of the future… where content, capital, and computation converge to deliver intelligent and ethical entertainment to billions.”
At the centre of this creative superstructure stands Eros GenAI, the company’s proprietary multimodal AI foundation model developed with IIT Chennai. Trained on 1.5 trillion cinematic, cultural, musical and behavioural tokens, the model positions itself as India’s first sovereign cultural AI stack, powering everything from automated dubbing and generative music to AI-native characters for virtual, live and interactive experiences.
Strengthening the experiential side of its universe, Eros Innovation has acquired 100 per cent of Empirical Wax, a London immersive tech studio known for real-time AI music, avatar-driven performances and mixed-reality worlds. Adding further heft, the company has completed a $97 million IP acquisition, rounding up films, multilingual digital assets and high-value music titles to enrich its content engine.
Today, Eros Innovation operates one of the world’s most expansive entertainment-tech infrastructures, spanning 80 million-plus subscribers, 12,000-plus film titles, 100,000-plus AI-ready characters, and a global fan base that crosses 2 billion people. All these assets form the launchpad for the upcoming Eros Universe Super App, a creator-economy platform that promises to fuse AI tools, tokenised content and immersive storytelling into a single seamless global interface.
With capital secured, IP consolidated and AI at its core, Eros Innovation isn’t just scaling, it’s scripting a future where the world’s next blockbuster may well be written, scored and performed by intelligence it built itself
Brands
Devyani International names Sandeep Anand, Robinder Singh in key roles
Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee businesses see leadership refresh from April
MUMBAI: Devyani International has strengthened its senior leadership bench with a fresh set of appointments across its key brands, Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee, signalling a sharper focus on growth and brand momentum.
The company has appointed Sandeep Anand as chief marketing officer and business head for Pizza Hut. His appointment, approved by the board via a circular resolution on April 3, follows a recommendation by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, as reported by CNBC-TV18. Anand will officially step into the role on April 6, 2026.
He takes over from Vijay Gogate, who currently serves as chief executive officer for Pizza Hut within the company’s operations. The move marks a strategic transition as the brand looks to sharpen its marketing and business playbook in a competitive quick service restaurant market.
Anand brings over two decades of experience across the food and FMCG sectors, with a strong track record in brand building and innovation. His career spans roles at major consumer-facing companies including Domino’s, Zydus Wellness, Zomato, GSK Consumer Healthcare, Reckitt and Ranbaxy, giving him a well-rounded perspective on both scale and agility.
Alongside this, Robinder Singh has been appointed business head for Costa Coffee and the company’s airport operations. He too will assume his new role on April 6, bringing more than 18 years of experience in operations, business expansion and customer experience transformation.
The twin appointments come at a time when Devyani International is doubling down on leadership depth to steer its portfolio through evolving consumer preferences and heightened competition. With fresh faces at the helm of two key verticals, the company appears set to brew up its next phase of growth with renewed energy.
