Sheeva

Sheeva.AI develops a vehicle commerce platform and transaction infrastructure layer for connected cars. Its patented precise geolocation technology, embedded digital wallet and commerce APIs allow a vehicle to identify exactly where it is — down to a two-meter-by-two-meter space, and to a specific fuel pump, parking bay, EV charger, toll gate or drive-through lane — and then let the driver discover, authenticate and pay for the corresponding service from the in-vehicle infotainment screen or an OEM mobile application.

The offering is packaged as the SheevaConnect product suite, comprising SheevaLocate (geolocation software embedded in the car's operating system), SheevaFence (cloud geofencing and mapping APIs that localize points of sale and service, built on a map of millions of service points in the U.S., Europe, Japan and India), SheevaPay (cloud contactless payment and wallet services with multi-use tokenization) and SheevaServ (an open API platform that activates nearby hardware such as pumps, chargers and parking kiosks). Because the services run through open APIs, an embedded wallet and cloud infrastructure, OEMs and service providers can enable in-vehicle transactions without added hardware or standalone apps.

Founding story

The company was founded in 2016 after its founder, Evgeny Klochikhin, struggled to pay for parking while taking his pregnant wife to the hospital. Having to find a space, locate a meter and complete a separate payment prompted the question of why the transaction could not be completed from the car, given that the vehicle already knows its location and the price is known. That observation was generalized into the idea that connected vehicles, combined with precise location intelligence, digital identity and transaction infrastructure, can transact for real-world services without the driver reaching for a phone, app or card.

Business model

Sheeva.AI sells embedded software and cloud transaction infrastructure to automotive OEMs, suppliers, merchants, mobility providers and payment networks, positioning itself as an intermediary layer that connects these parties in a single vehicle commerce platform while each participant retains its own brand and customer relationship.

The company positions in-vehicle commerce as a way for OEMs, energy marketers, retailers and other service providers to open new revenue streams and customer engagement channels by monetizing the driver experience through location-based services.

Traction

Reported traction includes an in-vehicle services marketplace in the Citroën C3 Aircross in India, a North American fuel payments partnership covering more than 5,700 Sunoco stations, in-car EV charging transactions at over 50,000 chargers in the U.S. through EV Connect, integrations with P97 Networks for fueling, a tokenization platform with Visa Acceptance Solutions, and market development activity in Japan with Hagiwara Electronics. Following the Series A the CEO said first transactions were underway, with an ambition to reach millions of cars across the U.S., Europe, India, Japan and wider Asia.

Latest developments

Recent announcements published by the company cover the Citroën C3 Aircross in-vehicle services marketplace in India, the Sunoco fuel payments partnership across North America, the Visa Acceptance Solutions in-vehicle tokenization platform, the AISIN infotainment-screen payments partnership, EV Connect charging integrations, the P97 Networks fueling partnership, and Japanese ecosystem development with Hagiwara Electronics.