aarna Bags Funding From Exfinity Venture Partners To Offer GPU-As-A-Service

Bengaluru-based SaaS AI cloud management startup aarna.ml has raised $1.2 Mn (about INR 10 Cr) as part of its Series A funding round from Exfinity Venture Partners.

The startup plans to utilise the fresh funds towards accelerating product development for GPU management, market expansion and boosting its reach.

aarna.ml had raised $5.5 Mn in Series A funding last year from a clutch of investors — including NVIDIA, LDV Partners, 3Lines, CARAT Venture Partners, among others.

The latest funding from Exfinity brings the total investment in the Series A round to $6.7 Mn.

Founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneurs Amar Kapadia and Sriram Rupanagunt, aarna.ml offers open-source AI cloud management software to GPU-as-a-service AI cloud vendors and data center providers.

Its flagship product, AMCOP (Aarna Networks Multi-cluster Orchestration Platform), automates cloud-native 5G network services and edge computing applications using intent-based orchestration, lifecycle management, and real-time closed-loop automation.

Notably, aarna.ml featured in the January 2022 edition of Inc42’s flagship ‘30 Startups To Watch’ series. 

In 2021, it raised $3.5 Mn in its seed funding round led by SVQuad Ventures, with participation from Inventus Capital, RiSO Capital and Arka Ventures. 

Commenting on the latest funding, aarna.ml cofounder and CEO Kapadia said, “Beyond the financial support, Exfinity’s expertise in scaling deep-tech startups in cross-border settings will significantly aid our expansion. With Exfinity’s backing, we are poised to extend our reach and enhance our impact in the industry.” 

The investment from Exfinity will further the company’s goal to deliver advanced GPU cloud management software, according to Rupanagunta.

The funding comes at a time when homegrown SaaS and AI-based startups are attracting significant interest from investors. For instance, in February, GenAI SaaS startup Vodex raised seed funding of $2 Mn (around INR 16 Cr) from Unicorn India Ventures and Pentathlon Ventures. 

Earlier this month, early-stage venture capital (VC) firm z21 Ventures marked the first close of its $40 Mn Fund II at $20 Mn (INR 167 Cr) to back AI and SaaS startups.