July 16, 2025 – Navana.ai, a Bengaluru-based pioneering voice AI startup, has successfully raised Rs 7 crore (approximately $800,000) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Antler India. The round also saw participation from well-known angel investors like Ajay Agarwal, Ronnie Screwvala, and Sandeep Singhal. This funding milestone pushes Navana’s total raised capital to Rs 13.2 crore (around $1.5 million), setting the stage for rapid growth and innovation.
Pioneering Voice AI Tailored for India’s Linguistic Diversity
Founded in 2018 by brothers Raoul and Jai Nanavati, Navana.ai is redefining the speech AI space with its unique focus on Indian languages and dialects. Unlike generic global voice AI models, Navana has developed a proprietary AI technology stack optimized for over a dozen Indian languages — including support for dialects — and designed to function effectively in noisy settings and low connectivity areas common across India.
Raoul Nanavati, co-founder and CEO, elaborated on the company’s vision:
“From Day 1, Navana’s mission has been to democratize access to digital services for every Indian, whether in a Mumbai high-rise or a remote village in Bihar. Our AI is built completely in India, capturing the diverse linguistic and cultural nuances essential to understanding Indian speech.”
Robust Product Suite Serving Diverse Industries
Navana.ai’s product offering caters to enterprises across banking, insurance, fintech, and beyond, powering voice experiences for more than 40 enterprise clients. Their core solutions include:
Bodhi Voicebot: A low-code platform enabling businesses to easily build and deploy intelligent voice agents for inbound, outbound, and app-based interactions.
Bodhi ASR: A speech recognition API designed specifically for Indian languages and dialects with superior accuracy in challenging acoustic environments.
Contact Center Intelligence API: Converts vast amounts of voice call data into actionable insights, aiding in fraud detection, agent performance evaluation, and workflow automation.
Cloud-Agnostic Infrastructure with Enterprise-grade Compliance
Understanding the strict regulatory requirements of sectors like banking and telecom, Navana offers cloud-agnostic deployment options across AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform as well as fully on-premise setups. This flexibility ensures compliance with data residency laws and client data security norms, making Navana an attractive choice for regulated industries.
Backed by Top Investors with Strong Market Conviction
Gowri Shankar, Associate Partner at Antler India, emphasized the strategic potential of Navana.ai:
“India is a distinctly voice-first market, and enterprises can no longer rely on global generic models to serve their multilingual, diverse customers effectively. Navana’s proprietary Indic language AI stack uniquely positions them to lead this voice revolution. Companies like Bajaj Finserv are already unlocking business value through their platform. With India’s enterprise AI expected to become a $50 billion market by 2035, Navana is set to drive large-scale voice AI adoption across sectors.”
Fund Utilization and Future Roadmap
The fresh capital infusion will be directed towards:
Expanding R&D for sophisticated Indian language speech models
Enhancing product capabilities and integrating newer features
Accelerating go-to-market strategies to onboard more enterprise clients
Strengthening the overall AI platform to cater to diverse industry needs
The Bigger Picture: Voice AI for India’s Digital Leap
India’s complex linguistic fabric and vast rural population create a unique challenge and opportunity in AI-driven voice technology. Navana.ai’s homegrown innovation, backed by strong investor belief and enterprise traction, symbolizes the future of AI in India — smart, inclusive, and customized for local realities.
As digital services leapfrog through voice interfaces, Navana.ai is firmly positioned to become a catalyst in India’s journey towards seamless, accessible, and intelligent voice-first experiences.