Y Combinator-backed startup Siftly has been selected by Maruti Suzuki India Limited as one of five startups for the fifth cohort of the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Programme (MSIP). The programme is conducted in partnership with NSRCEL (Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning) at IIM Bangalore and focuses on helping startups develop practical solutions for real business challenges.
As part of the programme, Siftly will help Maruti Suzuki strengthen its visibility across AI-powered search and recommendation platforms using Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). The startup’s platform enables brands to measure and improve their presence across AI assistants and search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and AI Overviews.
Over the past seven years, Maruti Suzuki has evaluated more than 7,400 startups, engaged with over 250, and onboarded 38 as business partners through its incubation programme.
The fifth cohort features five startups working across artificial intelligence and sustainability. These include MiniMines, which develops recycling solutions for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries; Easework AI, which automates procurement workflows using agentic AI; Sarvam AI, which builds multilingual generative AI agents for customer interactions; Siftly AI, which focuses on Generative Engine Optimization; and CodeMate AI, which offers AI-powered software development tools.
Siftly’s platform tracks brand mentions, citations, share of voice, and sentiment across leading AI engines. It also provides actionable GEO strategies and optimized content to help brands improve visibility and increase recommendation rates as more consumers turn to AI platforms for product research and purchase decisions.
Commenting on the selection, Chalam PVS, Co-Founder and CEO of Siftly, said the company is honoured to work with Maruti Suzuki, one of India’s most trusted automobile brands. He added that partnering alongside startups such as Sarvam AI reflects the growing importance of AI-driven innovation. According to him, as consumers increasingly rely on AI for vehicle research, comparisons, and recommendations, Siftly aims to ensure Maruti Suzuki’s brand remains highly visible and trusted across AI-generated responses.
The collaboration highlights the growing importance of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for large enterprises. As AI assistants become a key channel for customer discovery, brands that actively optimize their presence across these platforms can strengthen awareness, customer consideration, and conversions.
Founded under Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 (YC W22) batch, Siftly provides AI brand visibility solutions for B2B, D2C, and enterprise companies. Its platform helps businesses monitor how they appear in AI-generated responses, compare performance against competitors, identify inaccuracies, create GEO-optimized content, and measure business impact.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, continues to invest in startup collaborations across areas such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, customer experience, and emerging automotive technologies.
-By Shivani Solanki
