Binny Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart and a billionaire, is launching a new startup focused on the AI-as-a-service space. The venture is aimed at global customers and will build on Bansal’s success in Indian e-commerce. An article in Newsbreak describes how Bansal has hired 15 AI experts for the new startup, set to launch its services in the coming months from its base in Bangalore and HQ in Singapore. The main thrust of the business is the provision of AI talent, products and services to businesses, following the model of outsourcing providers such as Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys.
The operation will be based in Bengaluru but has plans to expand to the US. One article source notes a growing trend in which corporations are looking for ways to use AI for improved operations. Bansal’s startup looks set to capitalize on this trend, especially in courses of data analytics and emerging tools, such as DeepAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. The company plans to focus on training up new AI talent in India’s smaller, less expensive cities, and will target legal and e-commerce industries first before branching out to finance and data analytics.
There is no official comment on whether Bansal has plans to offer any additional services, but the aim is to have products and services available to the public by the second half of 2024. Bansal has not shared any specifics on the new business but is looking at India’s vast English-speaking, youthful population as a source of untapped AI expertise. Ever since selling Flipkart to Walmart, he has been investing in tech startups. Both he and co-founder Sachin Bansal worked at Amazon.com before founding Flipkart.
