AI Startups
Reporting, analysis and features from AIM's AI Startups section.
OpenAI’s Advice to Bengaluru AI Founders on Building Startup Moats
During a visit to Bengaluru, Marc Manara, who leads OpenAI’s Startups, VC and Private Equity teams, shared what founders need to build AI startups that can survive increasingly capable foundation models.
Supreeth Koundinya ·
Sarvam Is Hell-Bent on Pre-Training a Trillion-Parameter Model
Sarvam AI really wants to put to rest the question of why it's building a model from scratch instead of post-training open-weight models.
Supreeth Koundinya ·
Physical AI's Biggest Problem? Teaching Machines How to Feel
Deccan AI, a physical AI startup that recently raised $25 million, believes the hardest data annotation isn't visual. It's touch.
Merin Susan John ·
Bengaluru’s Startup Boom Hits a Talent Wall. Are GCCs to Blame?
As per GSER, Bengaluru scores low in terms of talent and experience. But industry leaders warn that the bigger gap lies in capability, research, and engineering readiness.
Smruthi Nadig ·
Bengaluru Beats Singapore on Startup Exits. But Liquidity Doesn't Mean Depth
Bengaluru's record startup exits signal momentum, but investors argue that funding depth, talent, and predictable deeptech exits, not headline valuations, define ecosystem maturity.
Smruthi Nadig ·
This Startup is Building the Data Layer for India’s Fuel Stations
Noida-based startup Nawgati’s AI stack helps taxi drivers track CNG pumps while also helping oil and gas companies analyse operational metrics.
Merin Susan John ·
Meet the AI Startup Behind India’s Got Latent Viral Song ‘Chai Ki Tapri’
The startup is betting that AI’s future lies beyond song generation, with agents designed to help creators produce, distribute and monetise music.
Siddharth Jindal ·
[Exclusive] Emergent Raises to $1.5 Bn, Wants to Become the Operating System for SMBs
The funding values Emergent at $1.5 billion, marking a fivefold jump in valuation in just four months and pushing the company into the unicorn club barely a year after its public launch.
Mohit Pandey ·
Yotta’s 85,000-GPU Bet Is Bigger Than the IndiaAI Mission
CEO Sunil Gupta says overseas customers now account for most of Yotta’s GPU business, with demand accelerating after introductions from NVIDIA
Siddharth Jindal ·
India's AI Funding Boom in H1 2026 Left Most Startups Starving
India’s AI-native startups drew nearly $1 billion in H1 2026, but on the back of two mega deals from Neysa and Sarvam AI.
Merin Susan John ·
India Should Build ‘Frontier Minus One’ Models, Says Sarvam’s Vivek Raghavan
Sarvam co-founder Vivek Raghavan says India cannot expect 7-billion-parameter models to deliver comparable performance for strategic applications.
Siddharth Jindal ·
AI Code Can be Messy. Now, VCs are Backing Startups That Can Fix Flaws
There’s a growing need for tools to help enterprises manage the complexities of AI-generated code, and investors like SenseAI Ventures are noticing.
Smruthi Nadig ·
Neysa Rejects the AI Divide as it Takes on Big Cloud With 20,000 GPUs
Neysa CEO Sharad Sanghi says inference—not model training—is emerging as the defining challenge for organisations looking to scale AI.
Siddharth Jindal ·
This Startup is Turning India's Financial Advisors Into AI-Powered Wealth Coaches
Unlike DIY investing platforms, Wealthy.in uses AI and operational support to help financial advisors scale their reach.
Merin Susan John ·
How Avataar.ai Built an AI Video Model That Costs Just 48 Paise Per Second
Built on Alibaba’s Wan 2.2, Varya cuts video generation time from roughly 1,230 seconds to 45 seconds through a novel distillation approach.
Siddharth Jindal ·
[Exclusive] Gnani.ai to Launch 5 New AI Models, Including Speech-to-Text Model
The first release, expected within days, is a speech-to-text model trained on 14 million hours of audio data.
Siddharth Jindal ·
How boAt Convinced Ideaspring to Back Indian Chips Startup With $13 Mn
Ideaspring sees HrdWyr as part of a new generation of startups building the hardware layer for physical AI.
Merin Susan John ·
How Sarvam AI Inspired Hoovu to Build HR Agent for Warehouse Workers
Hoovu’s Sarvam-powered HR assistant offers a glimpse into how Indian startups are deploying AI for real-world use cases.
Siddharth Jindal ·
Why This Bengaluru Startup Refuses to Sell to Anyone But Armed Forces
Zulu Defence focuses on high-speed tactical UAVs and has committed to indigenous development.
Smruthi Nadig ·
Construction is Slow to Embrace Automation. Flo Mobility Wants to Change That
Founded in 2021, the startup pivoted from retrofit kits to developing fully integrated robots designed for rugged terrain.
Smruthi Nadig ·