The Hindu: DECEMBER 23, 2015
Arya.ai, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-up, has raised Pre-Series A funding of $750K from YourNest Angel Fund and VentureNursery members.
Arya.ai was started by two IIT Mumbai researchers Vinay Kumar Sankarapu and Deekshith Marla.
The firm uses complex Deep Learning Algorithms to develop General AI systems that can adapt and learn to multiple use cases with minimal inputs from humans.
Mumbai-based Arya would use the funds to accelerate product development and to grow the AI eco-system.
This is the third time VentureNursery members have participated in the funding process.
“Using AI, developers can build applications that can solve most complex problems. However, the biggest pain point in building reliable AI applications is solving multiple challenges they encounter in the process,” Vinay Kumar, Founder and CEO of Arya.ai, said in a statement.
The firm’s modules can be used in building intelligent AI systems for a vast number of use cases in multiple verticals — right from creating an AI assistant for radiologists to creating a ‘bot’ to automate the customer experience handling.
Arya.ai has been working with developers across verticals like travel, research, e-commerce, customer care, medicine and banking, and will soon address other verticals like automobile, military and defence.
Girish Shivani, Fund Manager at YourNest Angel Fund, said, “We are excited about the opportunities. Arya.ai is creating in the way humans interact with machines. A modular platform, with ready-to-integrate modules can accelerate adoption of AI in day-to-day life and bring immense value to the end users.” Post this investment, Shivani is joining Arya.ai as a board member as a nominee of YourNest. Samir Shah, Investor and Board Nominee from VentureNursery, who has seen Vinay and team build an effective Deep Learning platform for the last two years, said,
“We expect Arya to impact millions of end users as an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) companion, and improve their ability to make better decisions, especially in complex areas of science and medicine. We are delighted to back a team that promises to be a global player in AI.”