How 9AI Is Automating Workflows For Indian Enterprises

What’s next after OpenAI and DeepSeek? Now that these tech startups have hit the innovation sweet spot, the ChatGPT parent is reportedly eyeing a funding round that could value it at $340 Bn, more than 2x its current valuation of $157 Bn, while the Chinese disruptor is mulling outside funding for the first time. Presumably, they will continue raising huge sums to grow fast and innovate. 

However, not all AI-driven innovation stories require such massive investments. A new breed of automation startups is now working on AI tools and models to help enterprises ditch time-consuming and effort-intensive manual processes. Among these is a growing cohort who has moved beyond typical big data analytics and traditional AI-ML systems, focussing instead on GenAI to offer tailored solutions and personalised experiences based on enhanced decision-making. 

The reason? AI has already gained momentum in four key sectors – BFSI, CPG and retail, healthcare, and industrials & automotive – and their AI adoption will likely account for 60% of India’s potential GVA worth $500 Bn. In fact, the evolution of India’s techade is firmly linked to world-leading AI adoption across industries, especially those struggling to extract insights from large datasets, handle cumbersome documentation and automate repetitive tasks.    

Given the rising requirement for enterprise AI solutions to spur commercial success, Udaipur-based 9AI is developing a wide range of analytics and automation tools. “Many companies use off-the-shelf automation tools, as few innovators have genuinely unlocked the capabilities of advanced, generative AI to drive transformational change. This, in turn, stifles growth, raises costs and prevents businesses from reaching their full potential,” said Garvit Chouhan, who teamed up with college mates Aaditya Saini and Kaustub Pandey to set up the bootstrapped venture. 

The startup is rooted in a shared belief that businesses should be able to operate more efficiently and with greater insight by leveraging AI to drive decision-making and innovation. Rather than creating point solutions for specific tasks, the founders designed and developed an AI platform capable of automating entire processes. Furthermore, these AI solutions can be built into industry-specific workflows with minimal disruption. 

9AI combines its deeptech R&D with AI and agile operational practices on its SaaS platform to automate complex workflows, improve decision-making accuracy and reduce processing times and human errors, driving down costs all the time.

It has three distinct revenue models to cater to businesses of all sizes. The first is an outsourcing model, including a one-time development fee with annual maintenance. The second is an agency model involving a monthly development fee and yearly maintenance. Finally, there is a partnership model, where the monthly development fee is significantly lower in exchange for product equity or revenue sharing.

Chouhan says the partnership model contributes 40% of the startup’s revenue. “For AI to succeed truly, it has to be tailored to the needs of each business. That’s why we offer these flexible revenue models. We want to partner with our clients to help them scale rather than deliver a one-size-fits-all solution.”      

Backed by iStart Rajasthan, a flagship initiative of the state government for supporting innovative startups, 9AI clocked INR 5 Cr in revenue in FY24 and expects a 4-6x jump in the current financial year.

From Hackathons To Real-World Impact: How 9AI Is Transforming Industries

The founders met during their undergraduate days at the College of Technology and Engineering (CTAE), Udaipur, and bonded over their passion for technology and deep interest in solving operational challenges. They participated in CTAE hackathons and worked on a series of side projects such as developing a CRM SaaS platform to manage ecommerce after-sales services. Chouhan later joined IIT-Madras to specialise in data science and programming and participated in an entrepreneurship programme at Y Combinator.   

The trio’s initial foray into technology development to resolve real-time business challenges paved the path for a broader platform, and 9AI was launched with Chouhan at the helm. “Our technical USP lies in our comprehensive integration of large language models [LLMs] and advanced data pipelines that ‘understand’ complex documents and zero in on the action required. Our operational USP is our ability to rapidly integrate newly developed AI solutions into existing enterprise processes and deploy them as soon as possible,” the CEO said.

Here is a quick look at 9AI tools and use cases across industries and pilot projects.

Enterprise solutions at scale: 9AI develops business automation tools tailored to address specific challenges for various industries, from insurance and finance to education, retail and more. To begin with, it has automated claims processing for a public sector insurer using AI-driven triage, including document analysis, claim assessment and categorisation based on criticality and complexity. The outcome: Processing takes 70% less time, and there is greater accuracy overall, optimising the claims handling workflow and enhancing the customer experience.

In mortgage finance, it has automated document verification and loan processing, slashing processing time by 60% and minimising errors. It has also developed a cutting-edge assessment tool to evaluate hundreds of subjective test responses at a fraction of the time and cost consumed by dozens of human evaluators. Additionally, 9AI has built intelligent search and personalised recommendation engines that boost engagement and drive conversions by delivering relevant content to the right audience.

AI agents for multi-channel services: As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pointed out at CES 2025, the world is entering the age of agentic AI, and the shift is worth a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity. Unlike GenAI, which creates content and tools, AI agents carry out a variety of tasks and manage routine processes across industries while making decisions based on real-time data. (Think of a customer-facing chatbot on a retail or a banking site: We know their critical importance.) 

In sync with the latest industry trend, 9AI makes custom-built AI agents for advanced automation and intelligent decision-making. These AI agents can be integrated with multiple communication channels, including email, call, WhatsApp and website/app, ensuring consistent and intelligent interactions with minimum human interventions.

Here, the retail sector benefits most. For instance, a CRM-lead generation bot enables up to a 30% rise in conversion. Fitted with existing systems, it can enhance sales workflows, driving efficiency and revenue.

LLM fine-tuning: The startup incorporates business-specific data and optimises existing language models to deliver contextually relevant outputs, helping businesses derive insights from vast datasets.

Visual data analysis and document processing: 9AI provides various image processing solutions such as object detection, similarity analysis and segmentation. Additionally, it can generate images based on user-defined inputs. It also offers automated document parsing, precise data extraction and intelligent classification to improve workflows and enhance operational efficiency.

Data solutions & ML training: The startup creates robust data pipelines to ensure reliable data analysis and provides comprehensive training modules for machine learning. This means 9AI has in place an end-to-end data integration ecosystem that covers everything from data ingestion, porting, processing, and model training to deployment and monitoring. It helps businesses optimise their AI workflows while data is managed seamlessly and models perform at their best, all while providing the flexibility to scale as requirements evolve.    

Open-source integration: 9AI also deploys and integrates open-source AI models such as DeepSeek, Qwen, Llama and others, offering businesses a dynamic blend of flexibility and cost-efficiency.    

iStart Rajasthan Provided The Right Ecosystem To Drive 9AI’s Growth

In the fast-evolving world of AI, early support can make all the difference between an idea that fades and one that scales. For 9AI, a rising player in this space, that critical backing came from iStart Rajasthan, the state government’s flagship initiative. It is no run-of-the-mill incubator, providing instead essential infrastructure, expert mentorship and valuable market access to sharpen the startup’s vision and accelerate its growth.

At its state-of-the-art Udaipur facility, iStart offered a collaborative and dynamic work environment equipped with modern labs, high-speed internet and essential office resources, giving the 9AI team all the vital tools to refine its tech offerings. But the real impact extended beyond infrastructure. Its deep network of industry veterans and domain experts allowed the startup to connect with mentors who helped shape its business model and go-to-market strategy.

The initiative also played a key role in business development, enabling 9AI to validate its solutions in real-world settings as it worked with government agencies and private enterprises. As a result, the number of pilots grew, and the new players gained rapid traction in the competitive industry. 

“I would say iStart bridges the gaps between ideation, innovation, execution and commercialisation. Its early-stage support laid the groundwork for scalable development and quick deployment of AI solutions. The ecosystem has moulded our strategy, enhanced our product quality and given us the confidence to scale our solutions,” said Chouhan.

What’s Next For 9AI Amid India’s Artificial Intelligence Boom

The AI and GenAI models and their applications will continue to grow as enterprise adoption has kicked in at scale. Globally, the intelligent process automation market (which covers all sorts of business and production-related automated systems) is estimated to reach $67.7 Bn by 2034 from $17.3 Bn in 2024, clocking a CAGR of 14.6%. India is set to mirror the global trend, given that 70% of GenAI startups are now catering to enterprises alone, and businesses of all sizes are keen to embrace the AI age motto – automation anywhere for greater efficiency, fewer costs and better earnings. 

The current market dynamics have opened a massive opportunity for tech enablers like 9AI and its peers. They can soon build an automation-led digital transformation ecosystem driven by AI-powered operations, insights and decision-making skills. Add to that the global resurgence of venture capital funding in the AI space – $100 Bn in 2024, more than 80% increase from $55.6 Bn in the previous year – and all seems hunky-dory for enterprise-first GenAI startups.    

In tune with the evolving scenario, 9AI will focus on breakthrough innovations in GenAI and deeptech to cater to diverse sectors and refine its existing solutions based on feedback. It will expand its core team and strengthen its strategic partnerships to validate new use cases and drive growth. It is also planning to set up a top-notch AI research facility.

In the long term, 9AI eyes overseas expansion and global partnerships with technology firms and research institutions to develop advanced model architectures and contribute to the evolution of Artificial General Intelligence. (For context, AGI is still a hypothetical stage where AI will have human-like intelligence and capabilities.)

Despite the increasing adoption of GenAI, the founding team at 9AI is fully aware that industry trends and investment strategies may undergo a paradigm shift in the current year. Until now, billions of dollars have been spent on foundation models as VCs are willing to bet big on original research and innovation. Now that the base has been built, thanks to OpenAI, DeepSeek and the like, investors could be more eager to fund enterprise tools and applications built on existing models and LLMs for sustainable growth and immediate profitability. Essentially, vertical AI may soon emerge as a more attractive investment choice, contrary to the horizontal approach, which became popular initially.

It is difficult to predict future trends at this point, but 9AI is working smart, ensuring that no loopholes are left unattended. It has started offering industry-specific automation solutions from Day one, focussing on precision and targeting document-heavy, manual workflows that waste time and resources and drive costs. However, its R&D for deeptech innovations and niche models are, by no means, discarded. Yes, core research will call for substantial capital, but the outcome, as transformational as ChatGPT, will continue to attract big investors.

Meanwhile, 9AI must cater to evolving enterprise needs while scaling effectively as AI adoption continues to reshape industries at a fast clip. With India positioning itself as a global AI hub, the coming years will test how well the company can adapt, innovate and carve its niche.