Startup Originals Team
Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence startup Profound has emerged from stealth with $1.5 million in seed funding, introducing an AI-powered platform designed to transform professional networking and recruitment. The startup was founded by experienced technology leaders who previously held senior roles at companies including Swiggy, Zomato, Cleartrip, Flipkart, Ola, and Walmart Labs.
The newly raised capital will help Profound strengthen its AI capabilities, expand its engineering and product teams, and scale its platform globally. The company aims to build AI representatives that understand professionals deeply and help them discover career opportunities while making hiring more efficient for businesses.
What Happened?
Profound announced the completion of a $1.5 million seed funding round alongside the launch of its AI-native platform for professionals and recruiters.
The funding round attracted a strong mix of venture capital firms and prominent angel investors. Institutional investors include Stellaris Venture Partners and 3one4 Capital, while angel participants include Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, Swiggy cofounder Nandan Reddy, former Zomato cofounder Pankaj Chaddah, Razorpay CEO Harshil Mathur, WhatsApp Global Head Kunal Shah, and OfBusiness cofounder Bhuvan Gupta.
The company plans to use the fresh investment to accelerate product development, improve its AI-powered matching engine, and expand its engineering capabilities.
Key Details
Profound was founded by Anuj Rathi and Prashant Parashar, who bring extensive experience in product, technology, and business leadership across India’s leading technology companies, including Swiggy, Zomato, Cleartrip, Flipkart, Ola, and Walmart Labs.
The startup offers every professional an AI-powered representative that begins by conducting a voice conversation to understand an individual’s skills, experience, expertise, work style, and long-term career ambitions.
Using this information, the platform recommends relevant career opportunities, facilitates professional introductions, and helps users build stronger professional networks.
Profound is also developing solutions for businesses. Hiring managers can create AI representatives for specific roles and teams, allowing companies to communicate hiring requirements through natural voice conversations instead of writing traditional job descriptions. The platform then uses AI to identify suitable candidates based on these requirements.
The company has set an ambitious goal of onboarding one million professionals worldwide before expanding beta access to a broader user base.
Why This Matters
Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond automation into personalised decision-making and professional assistance. Profound’s platform reflects this shift by positioning AI as an active representative capable of understanding users and helping them navigate career growth.
For businesses, AI-driven recruitment could reduce hiring time, improve candidate matching, and simplify the recruitment process. For professionals, personalised AI representatives could make networking and career development more efficient.
The investment also highlights growing venture capital interest in AI-native startups building practical enterprise and consumer applications.
Company Background
Headquartered in Bengaluru, Profound is an AI startup focused on creating intelligent digital representatives for professionals and organisations.
Founded by Anuj Rathi and Prashant Parashar, the company combines conversational AI with career intelligence to help users build meaningful professional relationships and identify opportunities. Its enterprise platform also enables companies to modernise hiring through AI-powered role creation and candidate matching.
Industry Impact
The launch of Profound comes as AI continues to reshape human resources, recruitment, and professional networking. Businesses are increasingly adopting AI to improve talent acquisition, while professionals are looking for smarter tools to manage careers and expand their networks.
If successful, platforms like Profound could redefine how professionals connect with employers and how organisations identify talent, strengthening India’s rapidly growing AI startup ecosystem.
Future Plans
With the new funding, Profound plans to expand its engineering and product teams, enhance its AI models, and strengthen its matching and introductions engine. The startup also intends to scale its platform globally, targeting one million professional users before opening wider beta access.
Conclusion
Profound’s $1.5 million seed funding marks a significant milestone as the startup enters the fast-growing AI-powered professional networking and recruitment market. Backed by experienced founders, leading venture capital firms, and prominent technology entrepreneurs, the company aims to redefine career management and hiring through intelligent AI representatives.
