Freshworks’ Founder Launches Together AI Studio to Fuel Indian AI Startups

Together Fund has introduced Together AI Studio, a venture-building initiative aimed at fostering AI-first startups in India. The program seeks to equip AI entrepreneurs with essential resources, industry mentorship, and capital support to drive innovation.

The Together AI Studio program, set to commence on April 15, 2025, will run for 12 weeks, with 11 weeks in Bengaluru and one week in the US. Participating startups will receive up to $1 million in funding, mentorship from leading AI experts, and access to an extensive US-India network to accelerate global expansion. 

Additionally, the program offers over $600,000 in cloud credits from OpenAI, AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, along with dedicated office space in Bengaluru.

“At Together Fund, we are doubling down on our commitment to back bold AI founders who are reimagining the future,” said Girish Mathrubootham, founder of Freshworks and founding partner at Together.Fund. 

Along with Mathrubootham, Together AI Studio is led by entrepreneurs and investors including Manav Garg, Lakshmi Shankar, Shubham Gupta, Sethu Chidambaram, Shivam Kant, and Kaushik Srinivasan. The team provides AI founders with access to industry expertise, market insights, and hands-on guidance.

Backing Indian AI Startups

Together AI Studio is particularly focused on supporting AI-driven business applications that optimise enterprise functions such as customer relationship management, automation, and cybersecurity. The healthcare sector remains a key area of interest, with AI innovations driving improvements in diagnostics, patient care, and workflow efficiency. Additionally, the program is fostering advancements in frontier AI research, including quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces, and AI applications in defense and security.

They have already invested in several AI-driven companies spanning diverse industries. These include Chaotix, an AI-powered game creation platform, and Composio, which integrates AI agents and large language models with enterprise applications, and other AI startups. 

A number of leaders are commencing programs to support AI startups in India. Recently,  Project EKA, led by AI startup Soket Labs, was introduced as an initiative to develop advanced foundation models optimised for India’s linguistic and socio-economic diversity while competing globally. 

Bringing together AI researchers, engineers, and institutions, the initiative aims to build high-efficiency, multilingual AI models within an open, ethical, and impactful ecosystem. Experts from IITs, IISc, and global research centers are collaborating to create a self-reliant AI infrastructure spanning education, finance, national security, and agriculture.