AI services startup Aivar has secured $4.6 million (approximately Rs 41 crore) in a seed funding round led by Sorin Investments, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners. The company will use the capital to scale its footprint across India, the United States, and the Middle East, while also investing in AI accelerators, senior leadership hires, and global delivery capabilities.
Founded in 2024 by former AWS executives Kousik Rajendran, Praveen Jayakumar, Ashwin Ram, and Aadarsh Ayyappan, Aivar operates as a technology services partner for enterprises. Specifically, the company enables startups and large organisations to transition AI use cases from experimentation to production by offering custom AI engineering services and proprietary accelerators spanning voice, data, and AI/ML workloads.
“When the generative AI wave hit a couple of years ago, we were at the forefront of what was happening across startups and enterprises. But we couldn’t find partners that could accelerate innovation, deliver return on investment, and solve problems end-to-end,” Rajendran, cofounder and CEO of Aivar, said.
According to Rajendran, enterprises today increasingly prefer AI studios that collaborate closely with founders, CTOs, and product leaders, rather than relying on traditional engineering-only engagements typical of large IT services firms. “We don’t replace teams; we augment them and work closely with the leadership to ship production-grade AI quickly.”
Meanwhile, Mandar Dandekar, partner at Sorin Investments, said Aivar operates with a differentiated execution model. “They are productising services such as voice AI, agentic workflow automation, and Kubernetes infrastructure, creating repeatable IP and product-like margins over time. That clarity made this one of the fastest investments we’ve done.” Dandekar also noted that while enterprises face growing pressure to adopt AI, many continue to struggle with effective execution.
Similarly, Nithin Kaimal, partner and chief operating officer at Bessemer Venture Partners in India, said enterprise AI adoption remains limited beyond core technology companies. “Most large organisations are still running pilots. The challenge starts when AI touches core workflows involving multiple departments and external partners,” he said. “Traditional systems integrators often pitch 12-month transformation projects, which no longer work. Firms like Aivar stand out because they focus on delivering impact in weeks. When customers see results, they come back with more use cases,” Kaimal added.
Looking ahead, Kaimal said that by 2030, AI will be embedded across all software development, creating a generational opportunity for AI-native services firms to challenge established incumbents.
