ProactAI raises ₹7.5 crore seed round led by Ixigo parent Le Travenues to build India's sovereign vision AI
What's the deal? ProactAI, an Indian startup building vision foundation models for critical infrastructure, has raised ₹7.5 crore in its first institutional seed round. The investment was led by Le Travenues Technology Ltd, the parent company of travel-tech platform Ixigo.
Founded by Adarsh Jain (IIT BHU), Piyush Shandilya (IIT Bombay), and Tushar Gupta (NSUT), ProactAI is building what it calls India's first vertical vision foundation model — focused on person re-identification, object tracking, and real-time intelligence for large-scale physical infrastructure.
Its flagship platform, Bhaskara, turns existing CCTV networks into AI-powered intelligence systems that can track movement patterns, identify persons of interest, and generate real-time insights — without any hardware replacement. The company claims above 98% person re-identification accuracy.
Why now? India's critical infrastructure — airports, surveillance networks, public transit — relies heavily on foreign AI systems from players like SenseTime, Thales, and IDEMIA. Programs such as DigiYatra currently use foreign facial recognition technology, creating a strategic vulnerability that ProactAI wants to address.
"Critical infrastructure across nations cannot permanently depend on non-sovereign intelligence systems," said Adarsh Jain, co-founder and chief executive officer of ProactAI. "Our vision is to create globally competitive sovereign AI models that combine cutting-edge accuracy with India-scale affordability."
The fresh capital will fund development of Foundation Model 2.0, expansion of the AI research team, and partnerships across defence, transportation, retail, and smart infrastructure.
What could go wrong? ProactAI is entering a space dominated by well-funded global incumbents with deep government relationships. Building foundation models is capital-intensive, and ₹7.5 crore is a modest war chest for the ambition at hand. The company will likely need significantly more funding to compete at scale.
Surveillance AI also faces growing scrutiny worldwide over privacy and civil liberties concerns — a regulatory headwind that could affect adoption timelines.
The signal: The "sovereign AI" thesis is gaining traction globally as governments reconsider dependence on foreign technology for sensitive infrastructure. ProactAI is one of a growing cohort of Indian startups betting that national security concerns will drive demand for homegrown alternatives in defence, surveillance, and public infrastructure.
The company has already begun testing with paying enterprise customers in retail and defence and has started expanding into GCC markets — suggesting the sovereign AI pitch resonates beyond India's borders too.
Read more: aninews.in
