Summary Points
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Risa Labs raises $3.5 million (Rs 29 crore) in seed funding.
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Binny Bansal leads the round, joined by global and domestic investors.
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The startup focuses on scalable AI infrastructure and tools.
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Funds to expand R&D, hire engineers, and scale operations.
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Risa Labs now viewed as a strong unicorn contender from India.
Risa Labs Bags Rs 29 Crore Seed Round Backed by Binny Bansal
Is India about to witness its next unicorn?
Bengaluru-based Risa Labs, an early-stage AI infrastructure startup, has raised $3.5 million (approx. Rs 29 crore) in a seed funding round. The round was led by Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart, alongside participation from a mix of domestic and international venture firms.
This is one of the largest seed rounds raised by an AI startup in India in recent months.
What Risa Labs Does
Risa Labs is building scalable infrastructure for AI applications, focusing on:
- Developer-first platforms for training and deploying AI models.
- Plug-and-play tools for startups and enterprises building GenAI products.
- Lightweight alternatives to expensive GPU setups for SMEs.
Their goal is to democratize access to powerful AI tools by making them more affordable and scalable, especially in emerging markets like India.
Binny Bansal’s Bet on Indian AI
Binny Bansal’s involvement has generated fresh interest in the startup.
- This is Bansal’s third major investment in a deep-tech AI venture since 2023.
- He believes AI infra is India’s next tech frontier, and startups like Risa Labs are poised to lead.
- His role is expected to go beyond funding—he may help shape product strategy and global scaling.
Other backers include:
- NeoGroup Ventures,
- Lightspeed India alumni angels, and
- Singapore-based early-stage funds.
Where the Funds Will Go
Risa Labs plans to channel the seed capital into:
- Expanding its R&D team, especially in edge-AI optimization.
- Hiring over 30 engineers and researchers in the next six months.
- Opening a new tech innovation lab in Pune.
- Strengthening partnerships with cloud providers and enterprise clients.
The company currently has 12 enterprise clients and is piloting its platform with two large e-commerce platforms and a fintech giant.
India’s AI Unicorn Pipeline Strengthens
With this funding, Risa Labs enters the spotlight as a serious contender in India’s unicorn pipeline.
Why it matters:
- The demand for affordable, scalable AI tools is rising in India’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities.
- There’s growing VC interest in startups solving infrastructure bottlenecks in AI and data processing.
- Risa’s focus on India-centric AI deployment could become a model for emerging economies.
According to the founders, a Series A round is expected in early 2026, depending on product milestones and client growth. They aim to onboard 100+ enterprise customers by mid-2026 and expand to Southeast Asia and the Middle East within the next year. One thing’s clear—Risa Labs is a startup to watch in India’s fast-growing AI ecosystem.
