Former Swiggy, Zomato execs' AI startup Profound bags seed funding
04 Aug 2026, 12:13 PMThe funding round was raised from VC firms Stellaris Venture Partners and 3one4 Capital, and a group of prominent angel investors including Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety.
Share the story on
AI startup Profound, launched by former executives who have held leadership positions at new-age tech companies including Swiggy and Zomato, has raised $1.5 million in a seed funding round from venture capital firms Stellaris Venture Partners and 3one4 Capital.
The funding round also saw participation from a group of prominent angel investors, including Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, Swiggy co-founder Nandan Reddy, former Zomato co-founder Pankaj Chaddah, Razorpay CEO Harshil Mathur, WhatsApp Global Head Kunal Shah, and OfBusiness co-founder Bhuvan Gupta.
The Bengaluru-based startup will use the fresh capital to strengthen its engineering and product teams, enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities, and further develop its matching and introductions engine. It also plans to onboard one million professionals globally before expanding beta access to a wider user base.
Profound was founded in 2025 by Anuj Rathi and Prashant Parashar. Rathi previously held product leadership roles at companies including Swiggy, Flipkart, Ola, and Walmart Labs, while Parashar has worked in senior technology positions at Swiggy, Zomato, Cleartrip, and other consumer internet firms.
The startup is building AI-powered representatives for professionals and employers. Through voice-based interactions, the platform understands a user's experience, skills, work preferences, and career aspirations before recommending relevant opportunities and facilitating introductions.
It also enables hiring managers to create AI representatives for roles and teams, helping companies capture hiring requirements through conversational interfaces instead of conventional job descriptions.
Who Reads Us
“I enjoy reading The Head and Tale for their coverage on the Fintech landscape. The reporting is incisive and honest, and it demonstrates a sharp understanding of the industry and the issues that concern it. I'd like to extend my best wishes to Arti for her continued success.”
“Well-researched, informative and analysis based reporting makes an interesting read. 'The Head and Tale' news portal has been demonstrating this quite well covering fintech and emerging tech sectors. Their timely updates, exclusive stories and different perspectives on these sectors help me stay informed. Kudos to Arti Singh for pursuing her passion and best wishes to the team.”
“The Head and Tale stands out for its deep industry knowledge and impressive network of sources. I especially appreciate that the reporting remains independent, rarely resorting to paid puff pieces, making it a publication I can genuinely trust. Having followed Arti’s work for years, I’ve come to rely on The Head and Tale for its unparalleled insight and truly independent coverage. Arti’s long-standing presence in the sector means her reporting is always informed, with access few can match.”
“What I really appreciate about The Head and Tale is that it doesn’t just report the news, it interprets it. The stories are well-researched, comprehensive, and bold. Arti brings a fearless lens to reporting, often asking the uncomfortable but necessary questions. She makes you pause, reflect, and rethink what it all means for the payments and fintech ecosystem. It’s rare to find journalism that’s this sharp, timely, and relevant to the work we do every day.”
“I’ve always valued journalism that goes beyond surface-level headlines. The Head and Tale does exactly that - it connects the dots, asks the tough questions, and brings clarity to the shifts shaping our evolving industry. I’ve even encouraged my team members to subscribe, because staying informed through credible, deeply reported stories is as important as building products. For me, The Head and Tale has become part of essential reading.”
