Freshworks founder pledges $1M and mentorship for Indian AI start-ups
What's the story
Girish Mathrubootham, the visionary behind Freshworks, has launched Together AI Studio through his venture capital firm, Together Fund. The initiative, as the name suggests, aims to nurture and support the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups in India. The program will kick off on April 15 and will last for 12 weeks, with most activities being held in Bengaluru and one week in the US.
Program details
Together AI Studio to provide $1 million funding
Together AI Studio is aimed at giving a major boost to new-age entrepreneurs in the world of AI. The program promises up to $1 million in funding, mentorship from leading AI experts, and access to a huge US-India network. This can really speed up global expansion efforts for the start-ups involved.
Additional support
Together AI Studio to offer cloud credits worth $600,000
Along with funding and mentorship, the program also provides over $600,000 in cloud credits from leading tech companies like OpenAI, AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. These resources will help start-ups leverage cutting-edge technology for their growth. Additionally, participants will also get dedicated office space in Bengaluru during the program duration.
Target sectors
Focusing on AI-driven business applications
Together AI Studio is especially keen on backing start-ups building AI-powered business applications to improve enterprise functions like customer relationship management, automation, and cybersecurity. Healthcare is another domain where AI innovations are making great progress in diagnostics, patient care, and workflow efficiency. The program also promotes progress in cutting-edge fields of research such as quantum computing and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).
Previous investments
Together AI Studio has already invested in several AI-driven companies
Already, Together AI Studio has invested in a number of AI-driven companies across industries. These include Chaotix, a groundbreaking platform for creating games with the help of AI technology, and Composio which combines AI agents and large language models (LLMs) with enterprise applications. Other noteworthy investments include Thesys, a design co-pilot for AI agents; and Presentations.ai, an advanced tool for creating presentations with the help of AI technology.
Other initiatives
Project EKA launched to support AI start-ups in India
Along with Together AI Studio, other initiatives such as Project EKA are also being launched to support AI start-ups in India. Led by Soket Labs, the initiative focuses on developing advanced foundation models for India's linguistic and socio-economic diversity while competing globally. It unites AI engineers, researchers, and institutions to build high-efficiency multilingual AI models in an open ethical ecosystem.