Bharat Intelligence, an agritech startup building AI solutions for India’s rural workforce, has raised ₹7 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Sahyadri Farms. The fresh capital will support team expansion, product development, and operational scaling across Western Maharashtra’s key horticulture regions, including grapes, bananas, tomatoes, and pomegranates.
Founded in 2024 by Azhaan Merchant and Gourav Sanghai, Bharat Intelligence is addressing one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges—the farm labour shortage. The company’s platform uses advanced AI to organise rural labour markets, predicting demand patterns, scheduling work crews, and connecting them with farmers through vernacular-first digital interfaces.
What sets the platform apart is its emphasis on embedding AI into rural realities. By mapping trust networks, seasonal rhythms, and local workflows, Bharat Intelligence captures data signals overlooked by conventional models—ensuring technology adapts to the agrarian context rather than the other way around.
“India’s economy is agrarian and deeply physical. To build AI for India, it must be rooted in the nuances of rural life—whether it’s a handshake in a village mandi, the migration patterns of workers, or the trust-based transactions that drive farming communities,” said Azhaan Merchant, Co-Founder & CEO of Bharat Intelligence.
The startup envisions its platform as both a near-term solution to workforce bottlenecks and a long-term foundation for rural transformation. By treating context as the missing layer of AI in India, Bharat Intelligence aims to design technology that aligns with the lived experiences of over a billion people.
By: Arushi Agarwal
