Squad As a Service S.L. (SqaaS), an AI startup backed by ixigo, has launched ShellBot, a managed and secure AI agent hosting platform aimed at making autonomous AI accessible to individuals, freelancers, SMEs, and enterprises globally. Built on OpenClaw, ShellBot allows users to deploy private, cloud-hosted AI agents that operate, handling tasks such as emails, scheduling, research, coding, and complex workflows across platforms like WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, Gmail, and Microsoft Teams.
Notably, ShellBot introduces a new category of AI infrastructure by offering users dedicated virtual machines running autonomous AI agents instead of relying on shared environments. As a result, users benefit from enhanced data privacy, improved performance, and greater control. Moreover, the platform enables seamless interaction across more than ten communication channels while maintaining a unified memory and context layer, thereby ensuring continuity across tasks and conversations.
At the same time, SqaaS has prioritised safety and control as core pillars of ShellBot’s architecture. As concerns around AI misuse and unintended actions continue to rise, the platform adopts a “secure by default” framework. Consequently, ShellBot ensures that AI agents execute only user-intended actions through multiple safeguards, including confirmation prompts for critical actions, granular permission settings, protection against prompt injection attacks, and mechanisms to prevent excessive or runaway usage. Additionally, users gain full visibility into agent activities and can pause or stop operations instantly, reinforcing trust and operational reliability.
Furthermore, ShellBot aims to democratise access to advanced AI by extending beyond developers to freelancers, small businesses, and enterprise teams. With pricing starting at €29 per month, the platform lowers entry barriers while delivering enterprise-grade infrastructure and flexibility. Importantly, its model-agnostic design supports multiple leading AI providers as well as local models, thereby preventing vendor lock-in and enabling broader adoption.
Commenting on the launch, Francisco Novella Fletcher said, “ShellBot is built to make powerful AI agents simple, secure, and truly useful in everyday life. Our vision is to leverage advanced AI systems to solve complex, everyday problems at scale while ensuring users always remain in control of how their AI operates.”
Adding further perspective, Rajnish Kumar and Aloke Bajpai stated, “AI agents represent the next paradigm shift in how technology serves users—moving from passive tools to active collaborators. With ShellBot, SqaaS has taken a powerful open-source innovation and made it secure, accessible, and practical for real-world use. The technology powering ShellBot and the underlying agentic system are already being used within ixigo’s own internal AI-driven workflows and are now productized and made available externally. We’re excited to support this journey as ShellBot brings enterprise-grade AI capabilities to a global audience.”
ShellBot is now live with global availability across its Starter and Pro plans, offering an introductory Pro plan at $1 for the first month for a limited period. This launch follows ixigo’s acquisition of a 45.02% stake in SqaaS in February 2026, further strengthening its position in the evolving AI ecosystem.
In conclusion, the launch of ShellBot marks a significant step toward mainstream adoption of autonomous AI agents. By combining security, accessibility, and scalability, SqaaS is positioning itself at the forefront of the agentic AI revolution, enabling users worldwide to leverage intelligent systems as active digital collaborators.
