In an era where AI leadership has long been dominated by global tech giants, Krutrim AI is making history as India’s very own artificial intelligence powerhouse. Founded by Bhavish Aggarwal, the visionary behind Ola and Ola Electric, Krutrim AI has quickly emerged as India’s first homegrown AI unicorn. Focused on solving real-world challenges in Indian languages and contexts, Krutrim is not only rewriting India’s AI narrative but also putting the country on the global tech map.
The Origin of Krutrim: A Vision Born in India
Krutrim AI was founded in April 2023 by Bhavish Aggarwal with a bold mission—to build an AI ecosystem from the ground up in India. With over a decade of experience building digital infrastructure with Ola, Bhavish saw the opportunity to create an AI model that understands India’s diversity in language, culture, and business needs.
Krutrim means ‘artificial’ in Sanskrit, symbolizing the company’s vision to create truly indigenous artificial intelligence that resonates with Indian users.
What Sets Krutrim Apart?
While most AI platforms are trained primarily on Western data and languages, Krutrim focuses on India-first problems. Its proprietary large language models (LLMs) are trained using high-quality Indian web data in 10 native languages including Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, and Odia.
The AI model delivers state-of-the-art performance across language understanding benchmarks and is designed to handle India’s linguistic diversity better than global models like ChatGPT or GPT-4.
Two Powerful Products: Krutrim and Krutrim Pro
Krutrim comes in two offerings: the basic Krutrim AI for general public access, and Krutrim Pro, a more advanced model built for enterprise-grade use. These products aim to empower individuals, developers, and organizations across sectors including education, healthcare, agriculture, and eCommerce.
The public beta launched in February 2024, and feedback-driven improvements are being rolled out weekly, improving performance, reducing hallucinations, and enhancing contextual understanding.
Business Model and Revenue Streams
Krutrim follows a robust enterprise-focused revenue model. The platform collaborates with businesses to develop domain-specific AI applications. These tailored solutions help companies adopt AI faster and more effectively.
Revenue streams include:
- Custom AI solutions for sectors like healthcare and logistics
- Cloud-based AI services for startups and developers
- Data monetization through secure and ethical practices
- Enterprise subscriptions and integrations
Krutrim has already raised $50 million in funding led by Matrix Partners India, achieving a $1 billion valuation within a year—making it India’s fastest startup to enter the AI unicorn club.
Founder Bhavish Aggarwal: The Force Behind the Vision
Bhavish Aggarwal, already a household name for disrupting urban mobility with Ola, envisioned Krutrim as a natural next step in India’s digital evolution. His goal is to build full-stack AI capabilities in India—ranging from foundational LLMs to chips and cloud infrastructure.
His leadership has attracted a 200+ member team of engineers, data scientists, and researchers working passionately to turn India into a global AI leader.
Krutrim’s Technology and Features
- Indic Language Expertise: Supports 10 Indian languages with contextual fluency
- Dual Output Mode: Text and voice input/output
- Cultural Contextuality: Delivers responses that understand regional customs and linguistic nuances
- Open Access for Developers: Free-tier cloud and API services
- AI Stack Independence: Working towards building AI chips and its own computing infrastructure
Competition in the AI Landscape
Krutrim faces competition from other emerging AI startups in India like Sarvam AI, Rasa, Gnani.ai, and LlamaIndex. However, Krutrim’s edge lies in its full-stack approach, India-first focus, and Bhavish’s proven track record of execution at scale.
Milestones and Achievements
- Achieved unicorn status within 9 months of founding
- Raised $50M in Series A funding
- Launched Krutrim public beta with 10 Indic languages
- 100,000+ developers signed up in first quarter
- First Indian AI startup to propose its own AI chip design and build custom infrastructure
Future Roadmap: Building the AI Backbone of India
Krutrim plans to democratize AI adoption by expanding into:
- Healthcare diagnostics with multilingual AI assistants
- Education tools powered by personalized AI tutors in local languages
- Agriculture advisory platforms using voice-driven interfaces for rural users
- AI-powered content creation for India’s massive creator economy
- Custom AI hardware optimized for local data processing needs
Krutrim also aims to go global—starting with Southeast Asia and Africa, targeting regions with similar language and infrastructure challenges.
Wrapping Up
Krutrim is more than just a startup—it is the symbol of India’s ambition to lead the global AI revolution. From building inclusive technology that speaks India’s languages to aiming for sovereign AI infrastructure, Krutrim is solving real problems while inspiring a generation of tech builders. The journey from Ola to Krutrim shows what’s possible when vision meets execution. The future of AI doesn’t just belong to Silicon Valley—it belongs to the world, and Krutrim is proving that India is ready to lead.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is Krutrim AI?
Krutrim is India’s first indigenous AI platform offering large language models trained in multiple Indian languages, designed to serve businesses and users with context-aware solutions.
Q2. Who is the founder of Krutrim?
Krutrim was founded by Bhavish Aggarwal, the visionary entrepreneur behind Ola and Ola Electric.
Q3. What makes Krutrim unique compared to ChatGPT?
Unlike ChatGPT, Krutrim is trained specifically on Indian languages and cultural contexts, delivering better results in Indian scenarios.
Q4. How does Krutrim make money?
Krutrim earns revenue through enterprise AI solutions, subscriptions, developer cloud services, and collaborations with industry verticals like healthcare and education.
Q5. Is Krutrim free to use?
Yes, Krutrim offers a basic version for free, especially for developers and startups, while Krutrim Pro is available for advanced and enterprise use.
Q6. What languages does Krutrim support?
Krutrim supports 10 Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Odia, and more, for both input and output.
Q7. How can developers access Krutrim AI?
Developers can access Krutrim’s APIs and cloud platform through its official website www.olakrutrim.com and build custom apps using Indian language LLMs.
Q8. What industries does Krutrim serve?
Krutrim currently focuses on healthcare, education, agriculture, fintech, and eCommerce by offering customized AI solutions for each sector.
Q9. Is Krutrim planning to go global?
Yes, Krutrim aims to expand into global markets with similar needs—such as Southeast Asia and Africa—starting in 2025.
Q10. Does Krutrim build AI hardware too?
Yes, Krutrim plans to develop custom AI chips and cloud infrastructure to make India self-reliant in its AI journey.