Anonymous professional networking platform Grapevine has raised $4.1 million (around ₹37–38 crore) in a fresh funding round led by Kae Capital, Peak XV Partners, and Unilazer Ventures. The Bengaluru-based startup is sharpening its focus on artificial intelligence to redefine how professionals discover and apply for jobs in India.
Alongside the funding announcement, the company has launched TAL (Talent Agent Layer), an AI-powered tool that aims to make job hunting more seamless, personalised, and efficient for users.
Funding to Boost AI Hiring Ecosystem
The newly raised capital will be used to scale Grapevine’s AI-driven offerings, including TAL and its interview preparation platform, Round1. The startup plans to invest in product development, improve matching algorithms, and expand its reach among tech and startup professionals.
Grapevine has already built a strong and engaged community of over one million users, largely from India’s startup ecosystem. Investors backing the round are confident that the company can disrupt traditional hiring platforms by leveraging real-time data and AI-based insights.
TAL: Redefining Job Discovery
TAL is designed to flip the traditional job search model. Instead of users spending hours browsing job listings, the AI agent actively scans opportunities and recommends roles that match individual profiles, preferences, and behaviour on the platform.
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By analysing career interests, skills, and community-driven insights, TAL helps reduce irrelevant applications and improves the chances of better job-role alignment. This proactive approach shifts the burden of job discovery from users to intelligent systems.
From Anonymous Discussions to Career Platform
Founded in 2023 by Saumil Tripathi, Jainam Talsania, and Shreeyash Dharmadhikari, Grapevine initially gained traction as an anonymous platform where professionals could openly discuss salaries, layoffs, and workplace culture.
Over time, this community-driven model provided valuable insights into career trends and user behaviour. With the launch of TAL and expansion of AI tools, Grapevine is now evolving into a full-stack career platform that supports both job discovery and interview preparation.
As AI continues to reshape recruitment globally, Grapevine is positioning itself at the forefront of India’s career-tech space, aiming to make hiring smarter, faster, and more personalised for the next generation of professionals.