What SenseAI Ventures does

SenseAI Ventures is a privately held, SEBI-registered (IN/AIF1/20-21/0817) venture capital fund headquartered in Gurgaon, India, that invests exclusively in early-stage AI-native startups. Founded by Rahul Agarwalla in 2017 as an AI-focused investment activity and formally incorporated as a venture fund with the December 2023 launch of its inaugural vehicle, the firm positions itself as India's pioneering AI-native VC. It operates two fund vehicles (Fund 1 and Fund Alpha) that have collectively backed 16 portfolio companies spanning software quality (CodeKarma), audit and compliance (Irame), reliability engineering (Sherlocks AI), AI infrastructure (Pipeshift, Llumo), healthcare (Confido Health, Cureskin), CRM (Floworks), construction (Contineu), voice AI (Skit AI), BFSI (HyperNorm AI, Cyborgintell), e-learning (Jovian), consumer behavior (Net), media and content (New Bytes), and three exited positions (Tripeur, Third Watch, AV/Artivatic).

SenseAI's core product is capital deployment supported by a proprietary VDAT evaluation framework that scores targets on Variety, Data, Architecture, and Team dimensions. The firm supplements its fund operations with research publications (annual State of AI report, 2026 edition covering 1,200+ Indian AI startups), flagship events (InvestAI annual showcase and AI Founders Mixer series in partnership with AWS, WeWork India, and DLF), a podcast, and a public pitch submission portal. The fund routinely co-invests with global and India-focused VCs including Y Combinator, Accel, Khosla Ventures, and Prosus.

SenseAI generates revenue through standard venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital (typically ~2% of AUM) and carried interest (typically ~20% of profits above a hurdle rate) from successful exits. Its inaugural fund is sized at Rs 200 crore (approximately $25 million) with a three-year deployment window. The customer base splits between (a) founders receiving equity capital and operational support, sourced via community events, direct outreach, and warm introductions, and (b) limited partners (family offices, institutions, HNWIs) providing fund commitments, with LP engagement handled through a dedicated IR function and direct outreach.

Name

SenseAI Ventures

Legal name

SenseAI Ventures

Website

https://senseai.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SenseAI Ventures is a SEBI-registered AI-native venture capital fund based in Gurgaon, India, that invests in early-stage AI-first startups across applications and infrastructure, deploying capital through Fund 1 and Fund Alpha while operating proprietary evaluation frameworks, ecosystem events, and research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: SenseAI Ventures operates as a VC fund generating returns through equity investments in early-stage AI startups. The fund takes equity stakes in portfolio companies and returns capital through exits via acquisitions, IPOs, or secondary transactions. Fund 1 invested in companies like CodeKarma, Irame, Sherlocks AI, Llumo, Pipeshift, Confido Health, Floworks, Cureskin, Contineu. Fund Alpha includes Jovian, Net, New Bytes, Cyborgintell, Skit AI. Exited investments include Tripeur, Third Watch, and AV (Artivatic). Revenue is generated through management fees (typically 2% of committed capital) and carried interest (typically 20% of profits above hurdle rate).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SenseAI Ventures is an AI-native venture capital fund that invests early-stage capital (pre-seed to Series A) in AI-first startups across India. The fund operates through two vehicles (Fund 1 and Fund Alpha) deploying equity into AI-native companies and generates returns through management fees and carried interest, supplemented by proprietary evaluation frameworks, an annual State of AI research report, and ecosystem events.

Product overview

SenseAI Ventures operates as an AI-native venture capital fund that provides early-stage funding to AI startups. The firm does not offer a unified SaaS product but rather delivers investment services, research publications, and ecosystem events to support AI-first companies. Their core offering centers on capital deployment through two funds (Fund 1 and Fund Alpha), supplemented by proprietary analytical frameworks such as the VDAT Framework for startup evaluation, periodic industry reports (State of AI 2026 Report), and hosted events including InvestAI conferences and AI Founders Mixers. The fund also maintains an online platform for startup pitches and investor engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fund 1 Investment Vehicle
• Fund Alpha Investment Vehicle

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of AI funding in India's ecosystem allocated to applications - SenseAI's primary focus area
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and minor.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerAWS partnered with SenseAI for the AI Founders Mixer x AWS event in September 2024, bringing together 50 AI founders for an evening of insights and collaboration. AWS provides cloud infrastructure and AI/ML tools for portfolio companies.
• IDFC FIRST BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBanking partner for the AI Founders Mixer event hosted by SenseAI at WeWork India Labs, powering the mixer with banking infrastructure support.
• DLFminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for InvestAI 2025 event, hosted at DLF facilities bringing together over 100 industry leaders and family offices.
• WeWork IndiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for AI Founders Mixer events at WeWork India Labs, providing co-working space for ecosystem networking.
• MicrosoftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosoft participated in InvestAI 2024 event with demonstrations of cutting-edge AI tools including OpenAI's SORA and Suno.ai, adding global perspective to the event.
• NVIDIAstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerNVIDIA speaker Unnikrishnan AR presented on infrastructure shifts powering AI at InvestAI 2025, providing insights on GPU and AI infrastructure trends relevant to portfolio companies.
• MakeMyTripminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra spoke at InvestAI 2025 on scaling Indian companies in the new AI era, sharing insights on growth and market expansion.
• ASK Wealth AdvisorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerASK Wealth Advisors partner Aditya Mishra presented on AI as an asset class at InvestAI 2025, exploring investment opportunities in the AI sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• pi Ventures: Bengaluru-based early-stage venture fund focused on AI, machine learning, and IoT startups in India. Directly comparable as a specialist AI-focused early-stage VC operating in India with similar thesis-driven investing.
• Speciale Invest: Chennai-based early-stage VC investing in deep-tech and AI startups in India. Comparable as a specialist early-stage AI/deep-tech fund targeting similar founder profiles and check sizes in India.
• YourNest Venture Capital: India-focused early-stage VC with explicit focus on deep-tech and AI startups. Comparable as an AI-specialist early-stage fund targeting similar founders and check sizes in India.
• Inflexor Ventures: India-based deep-tech and AI-focused early-stage VC. Comparable as a specialist fund investing in AI and frontier technology startups at similar stages in India.

Broad incumbents

• Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India): India's largest venture firm with significant AI deployment across seed to growth stages. Comparable as a major investor in the same Indian AI startup ecosystem SenseAI targets, though at much larger cheque sizes.
• Accel India: Global VC with strong India presence actively investing in AI startups (and co-investor alongside SenseAI in CodeKarma). Comparable as a leading investor competing for the same Indian AI deals, though at broader sector coverage.
• Blume Ventures: India-focused early-stage VC with broad tech and AI exposure. Comparable as an early-stage India VC targeting similar founder segments, though Blume is a generalist rather than AI-specialist.
• Kalaari Capital: India-focused early-stage VC with active AI thesis. Comparable as an early-stage India VC investing in technology and AI-native founders across similar seed and Series A stages.
• Chiratae Ventures: India's largest homegrown tech VC with AI investments across its portfolio. Comparable as an active investor in Indian AI startups with broader sector coverage and larger fund size.
• 3one4 Capital: India-focused early-stage VC with strong AI and SaaS thesis. Comparable as an early-stage India investor competing for similar founders, though with broader sector coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SenseAIVentures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/senseai-ventures
• Instagraminstagram.com/senseai_ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments34 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SenseAI Ventures