Bengaluru-based startup Sarvam AI has emerged from stealth mode with $41 million in Series A funding, representing the largest early stage raise for an Indian AI company. The round was led by Lightspeed Ventures, with participation from Peak XV Partners and Khosla Ventures.
Founded just five months ago by AI experts Vivek Raghavan and Pratyush Kumar, Sarvam AI aims to develop a full-stack platform for generative AI. This will span innovations in model research and training to an enterprise-grade product for companies to leverage AI, especially generative models, for business applications.
With India representing a massive consumer and business opportunity, Sarvam AI plans to focus squarely on the country's unique needs. That includes training models that can understand India's multitude of languages and voice-first interfaces. The startup also intends to partner with Indian companies across sectors, co-building customized AI models trained on their data to solve industry-specific challenges.
On the funding, Lightspeed partner Hemant Mohapatra stated, "Having backed some of the most influential names in GenAI globally, we are excited by Sarvam AI’s unique approach in combining model innovation and application development to build population-scale solutions for India."
Sarvam AI's ambition is to enable wide adoption of generative AI. Cofounder Vivek Raghavan reflected on his experience building India's digital infrastructure layers like Aadhaar, commenting, "I have seen first hand the enormous value in innovating at foundational layers and deploying at population scale."
With countries increasingly seeing AI as a strategic capability, Sarvam AI offers India the opportunity to establish leadership, particularly in AI that serves local needs. Cofounder Pratyush Kumar expressed the startup's vision "to establish Sarvam AI as a beacon for AI innovation, attracting the brightest minds to tackle foundational research challenges right here in India."
Both founders bring valuable expertise to the ambitious venture. Raghavan has over a decade of experience building large-scale digital infrastructure, including India's national digital ID system Aadhaar. Kumar has an extensive research background including leading AI4Bharat, an initiative to advance Indian language AI capabilities and applications. This blend of large-scale systems expertise and AI domain knowledge positions Sarvam AI uniquely in the race towards advancing AI technology in India.
With strong founders, robust funding, and a vision to advance AI innovation and adoption tailored for India, Sarvam AI begins an ambitious journey that could shape the country's digital future and competitive positioning in AI globally.