From Left to Right, Piyush Verma (CEO), Sivashankar Selvarajan (CTO), and Sumit Singh (Chief Data Officer), Neural Defend
Deepfake Detection Startup Neural Defend Secured over $600K in a Pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures in order to add further fillip to its robust Agentic AI capabilities for real-time, multimodal deepfake detection, further advancing its R&D efforts and product development.
Yes, AI startups in India are receiving significant funding, reflecting the growing confidence of investors in the sector. In 2024, funding for AI startups in India reached approximately $780.5 million, marking a 39.9% increase compared to the previous year. Generative AI startups alone attracted $400 million in funding, with a focus on applications and platforms rather than foundational models.
Late-stage funding has seen a notable surge, as investors prioritize scalable and high-impact AI enterprises. Bengaluru remains a major hub for AI innovation, while cities like Hyderabad are also emerging as key players, supported by initiatives like the Telangana AI Mission.
Govt Support for AI Startups
The Indian government is also playing a role through programs like the IndiaAI Mission, which aims to provide streamlined funding access for deep-tech AI startups. This combination of private and public support is fostering a vibrant ecosystem for AI innovation in India.
Are you exploring opportunities in this space, or just keeping an eye on the trends? AI startups in India are attracting funding through various channels, driven by the growing demand for AI-driven solutions across industries like healthcare, fintech, and enterprise software. Here are some key trends:
1. Government Initiatives: Programs like the IndiaAI Mission aim to support deep-tech AI startups by providing streamlined access to funding for innovative projects.
2. Venture Capital: Investors are focusing on sector-specific AI applications, such as healthcare and agriculture, which reflect the demand for targeted AI solutions. Bengaluru remains a major hub for AI startups, attracting significant investments.
3. Generative AI Boom: Funding for generative AI startups in India rose to $400 million in 2024, with a focus on applications and platforms rather than foundational models.
4. Late-Stage Investments: There is a shift towards funding scalable, high-impact AI enterprises, with late-stage funding seeing a significant surge.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Collaborations with established companies help startups secure funding and scale their operations.
“Our goal is to protect real identities against digital deception through innovative AI agentic technology.”
Piyush Verma, CEO, Neural Defend
Investor confidence in the budding start-ups
India, which has become a fertile breeding place for start-ups, is seeing lot of investor confidence in the budding start-ups, especially, AI start-ups. AI startups in India are receiving significant funding, reflecting the growing confidence of investors in the sector. In 2024, funding for AI startups in India reached approximately $780.5 million, marking a 39.9% increase compared to the previous year. Generative AI startups alone attracted $400 million in funding, with a focus on applications and platforms rather than foundational models.
This month, Neural Defend, an AI-driven cybersecurity startup, successfully raised over $600K in a Pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV). The round also saw participation from MIT SBXI (Boston-based), Techstars San Francisco, and Soonicorn Ventures. The capital will be used to enhance its Agentic AI capabilities for real-time, multimodal deepfake detection, further advancing its R&D efforts and product development.
Redefining identity protection
Founded in 2024, Neural Defend specializes in deepfake detection and cybersecurity innovation. With pilot projects already underway in New York and Singapore, the company is addressing the growing risks posed by AI-generated digital deception. The startup is poised to redefine identity protection and fraud prevention on a global scale.
Led by Ivy League Grads
The company is led by Piyush Verma (CEO), Sivashankar Selvarajan (CTO), and Sumit Singh (Chief Data Officer). Piyush Verma, a two-time founder and former researcher at MIT, Harvard, IBM R&D has built impact-driven ventures with Fortune 500 Clients in the past. Sivashankar Selvarajan, an IIT, IIM graduate and seasoned AI and cybersecurity expert, holds two patents in Face Anti-Spoof Detection and has won the Intel Edge AI Award. Sumit Singh has managed data pipelines worth over $200 billion, while working with major clients like INVESCO through Publicis Sapient. Neural Defend has also been selected into the prestigious Techstars accelerator in San Francisco.
Now it’s a natural question that how do investors choose AI startups to fund? Well, Investors evaluate AI startups based on several key criteria to ensure their potential for success and scalability. Here are some of the main factors they consider: Innovative Technology, Market Potential, Strong Team, Scalability, Revenue Model, Revenue Model, Ethical AI Practices, Traction and Metrics, and, of course, Strategic Fit.
Innovative Technology: Startups with unique and cutting-edge AI solutions that address real-world problems stand out. Investors look for proprietary technology or intellectual property that offers a competitive edge.
Market Potential: A clear understanding of the target market, its size, and growth potential is crucial. Startups that cater to high-demand sectors like healthcare, finance, or generative AI often attract more attention.
“At IPV, we back companies that solve critical challenges with scalable business models. Their vision and traction so far make them a compelling investment.”
Vikram Ramasubramanian, Partner & CIO, Inflection Point Ventures
Strong Team: A skilled and experienced founding team with a track record of success in AI or related fields is a significant factor. Investors value teams that can execute their vision effectively.
Scalability: Startups with a scalable business model and the ability to expand their operations globally are more appealing to investors.
Revenue Model: A clear and sustainable revenue model that demonstrates how the startup plans to generate income is essential.
Ethical AI Practices: With increasing focus on responsible AI, startups that prioritize data privacy, fairness, and compliance with regulations are more likely to secure funding.
Traction and Metrics: Evidence of early success, such as customer acquisition, partnerships, or revenue growth, can significantly boost investor confidence.
Strategic Fit: Investors often look for startups that align with their portfolio and investment strategy, ensuring synergy and mutual growth.
If we look at Neural Defend, it has all the requisites present in its set up, which has earned it the trust of frontline investors like Inflection Point Ventures
Backing companies that solve critical challenges
Vikram Ramasubramanian, Partner & CIO, Inflection Point Ventures, said, “It is no news that cyber threats are evolving rapidly, risking businesses and individuals’ privacy and finances. Neural Defend’s AI-driven approach to real-time detection perfectly aligns with today’s urgent need for robust cybersecurity and digital identity protection. At IPV, we back companies that solve critical challenges with scalable business models. Their vision and traction so far make them a compelling investment.”
Driving widespread AI adoption
Currently at the pre-revenue stage, Neural Defend is scaling its operations by engaging with global enterprises, fintech companies and financial institutions for product validation and market expansion. With the rise of deepfake threats across industries, the company is well-positioned to drive widespread adoption of its solutions.
Preventing digital deception using Agentic AI
What sets Neural Defend apart is its AI agentic, multimodal, real-time deepfake detection technology. Unlike traditional methods, its proprietary AI models detect deepfakes across multiple data formats, including video/ image, audio, real-time streams, ensuring robust fraud prevention for businesses and governments.
“Our goal is to protect real identities against digital deception through innovative AI agentic technology,” said Piyush Verma, CEO of Neural Defend.
AI-driven fraud detection systems
With MIT (Boston), IIT, IIM alumni leadership, the startup is rapidly gaining traction among global enterprises and cybersecurity experts. Neural Defend is working with fintech companies and financial institutions focusing on Video verification and KYC use cases. They have already achieved State of the art benchmarks for their technology, demonstrating the effectiveness of their AI-driven fraud detection systems.
With trillions of dollars at risk due to deepfakes globally, the cybersecurity industry is witnessing exponential growth. The demand for real-time AI-driven fraud detection solutions is rising, making Neural Defend’s cutting-edge technology highly relevant in today’s digital landscape.
Of Being Neural Defend
Founded in 2024 by Piyush Verma, Sivashankar Selvarajan, and Sumit Singh, Neural Defend operates in India and San Francisco, USA. The company focuses on deepfake detection and cybersecurity innovation, leveraging AI agentic technology to offer scalable and resilient solutions. Backed by Techstars SF, MIT SBXI and Inflection Point Ventures, Neural Defend is working with global enterprises to enhance identity protection.
Neural Defend: A Bird’s Eye View
Neural Defend is a cutting-edge cybersecurity startup specializing in AI-driven, real-time deepfake detection.
Founded in 2024 by Piyush Verma, Sivashankar Selvarajan, and Sumit Singh, Neural Defend operates in India and San Francisco, USA
The funds raised will be utilized for R&D and product development, strengthening its proprietary AI technology.
Neural Defend is currently conducting pilot projects in New York and Singapore, demonstrating its global applicability.
Backed by Techstars SF, MIT SBXI and Inflection Point Ventures, Neural Defend is working with global enterprises to enhance identity protection.
