OpenAI's Marc Manara says Indian startups prioritize AI cost management
Indian startups are getting serious about managing AI costs early on, way before they scale up.
Marc Manara from OpenAI points out that unlike Silicon Valley firms, which focus more on raising money and finding their market fit, Indian teams put cost optimization first, especially for products aimed at local users.
He adds that enterprise customers don't mind paying extra for advanced features like faster responses or smarter AI.
OpenAI unveiled the IndQA benchmark in November 2025.
India now hosts OpenAI's third-largest startup team worldwide. Local startups help improve OpenAI models by giving feedback on Indic languages and keeping things speedy and affordable.
To support this, OpenAI unveiled the IndQA benchmark in November 2025 and recently cut GPT prices to make AI more accessible here.
Manara says they're planning to expand even further, teaming up with more Indian startups and investors to boost the country's AI scene.