Every AI conversation in India somehow circles back to the same few names. But away from the spotlight, another set of founders is building, quietly, aggressively, and in categories that could become massive over the next few years.
But if India’s next big AI story comes from voice agents, chips, robotics or agriculture intelligence, there’s a good chance these founders are already laying the groundwork.
“What if India’s next AI breakthrough comes from farms?â€
Most people don’t associate AI with agriculture. Pratik Desai does.
Through KissanAI, he’s building AI tools designed for farmers, an unusual bet in a market obsessed with enterprise SaaS and chatbots.
It may not sound glamorous. But agriculture is still one of India’s biggest sectors, and if AI can genuinely improve decisions on the ground, this could quietly become one of the country’s most meaningful use cases.
“India talks about manufacturing. But who’s building the brains behind AI?â€
Everyone wants AI.
Very few are building what powers it.
That’s what makes Ramamurthy Sivakumar interesting.
His startup, HrdWyr, is trying to build AI-native chips from India at a moment when semiconductors have suddenly become a national obsession. It’s a brutal business. Capital-heavy. Slow-moving. But if India’s chip ambitions become real, such startups may suddenly matter a lot more.
“The founder betting India won’t type to AI — it’ll talk to itâ€
AI voice agents are exploding globally. But India is different. Language matters here. That’s the bet Maitreya Wagh and Prateek Sachan are making with Bolna—building multilingual voice automation for businesses.
Customer support, sales, operations, if businesses increasingly speak to AI instead of hiring for every interaction, this category could move very quickly.
“Everyone loves chatbots. This founder is thinking beyond themâ€
While the AI internet obsesses over prompts and chat interfaces, Ganesh Gopalan is focused on voice. Through Gnani.ai, he’s helping enterprises automate conversations using speech AI, something many businesses may adopt faster than expected. Because the next AI assistant may not be typed. It may simply talk back.
The truth? India’s AI race is still wide open. And while everyone watches the obvious names, these founders are building in corners of the market that could look very different 24 months from now.Â
