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Aakrit Vaish
@aakrit
Activating AI in India
Mumbai, India
Joined February 2009
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    I moved back to India in 2013 with a simple mission: to build AI for the country. Since then, I've been incredibly fortunate to build Haptik, invest in 100+ startups, co-create TEAM for Mumbai and contribute to our sovereign AI strategy through the IndiaAI Mission. Today, all of
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    Bangalore has the smartest people of our generation in India. Bombay should seriously be worried about becoming the next Calcutta in 20-30 years.
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    Huggingface can see what most others can't. Soon, everyone will know. I am meeting 1 new AI startup a week now. Top technical teams thinking global first.
    I think India could become an AI superpower and we're starting to see early signs!
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    Living in Mumbai needs to be a case study. Roads, air, weather, airport are likely worst in the country. But phir bhi "Spirit of Bombay".
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    1/n New RBI guidelines released in August have major implications for angel investors who invest in startups headquartered abroad. I have now spoken to various lawyers, CAs, banks & others to arrive at the below understanding. P. S. This is still evolving :)
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    Heard from a legend founder today: "An entrepreneur is passionately optimistic and perpetually paranoid."
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    Excited to share my new role as Advisor to the India AI Mission. In March this year, the Union government sanctioned Rs. 10,300 Cr to build the sovereign AI footprint of the country, including compute infrastructure, foundation models, startup financing & more. Humbled,
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    Building AI in India
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    Varun is running the most underrated AI company in India. They make marketing videos for clients, where 80% of the work is done using AI. AI-led services in action, with the potential of software like margins.
    Before I talk about Project 11 A (in a couple of days), we first need to talk about Aeos. Aeos is now 300+ full time employees, profitable, and bootstrapped. Weโ€™ve had a period of insane rapid growth lately. Read what we did in 2024: truthseekermusings.beehiiv.com/p/our-2024
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    Entrepreneurship is such a brutal game. You drop the ball for a minute and everything falls apart. Focus. All the time. Every single day.
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    I am not going to participate in any more AI conferences in India. This is not against anyone specific, but the conversation is all the same and the audience is not gaining anything. Founders should instead spend this time building or with customers, that's it.
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    If you are trying to build an AI startup from India for the world, stop. Move to SF. Then start.
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    We are excited and proud to announce that Haptik has entered into a strategic transaction with Reliance Jio. The total deal size is 700 Cr, with Jio holding ~87% of the combined business on a fully diluted basis.
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    In 2021 I heard more than 100 startup investment pitches and invested in 27. Only 3 takeaways: 1. Founder quality in India is as good / better than anywhere else 2. India TAM is a moot point. This is a supply constrained market. 3. Timing of the idea is everything. Why now?