Indian agentic AI startups have already raised over $60M in 2026 - a strong signal that the ecosystem is rapidly moving from experimentation to deployment at scale. As AI evolves from copilots to autonomous systems capable of executing workflows and making decisions, one of the most exciting shifts is happening beyond the cloud in the physical world. At Ankur Capital, we have closely tracked this transition across manufacturing, robotics, industrial IoT, autonomous systems, and edge infrastructure. That conviction led us to back CraftifAI. We believe embedded AI development is at an inflection point. Today, building software for edge devices and industrial systems remains fragmented, time-intensive, and dependent on highly specialized engineering workflows. CraftifAI is building Orbit, an agentic AI platform that automates embedded software and Edge AI development - from architecture design and firmware generation to testing, optimization, validation, and deployment across edge hardware environments. What makes this especially compelling is the breadth of real-world applications it unlocks. In manufacturing environments, Edge AI systems powered through platforms like CraftifAI can enable: - Real-time defect detection - Predictive maintenance - Worker safety monitoring - Assembly-line optimization - Automated quality inspection all directly on device, without relying on cloud latency. In robotics and autonomous systems, the platform can support: - Autonomous navigation - Dynamic process optimization - Real-time visual inspection - Smart surveillance and safety systems - Faster deployment of AI-enabled robots and AMRs across logistics, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure use cases. What is particularly exciting is that these are not isolated AI demos; they represent the infrastructure layer enabling intelligence to operate reliably inside real-world machines, cameras, factories, and devices. As AI increasingly moves to the edge, we believe entirely new software and tooling layers will emerge to power this transition - especially for embedded systems, IoT devices, robotics, and AI-native industrial infrastructure. India is uniquely positioned for this moment: - Deep engineering talent - Large-scale operational environments - Strong embedded systems expertise - And founders building globally relevant products from day one The next generation of enduring AI companies may not just build models. They will build the infrastructure that enables intelligence to operate in the real world (Sharing the full article in the comments below). #AgenticAI #ArtificialIntelligence #DeepTech #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #Innovation
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Thanks for the mention, Ankur Capital team!
Very insightful perspective Ankur Capital team. The real shift is no longer AI as software alone — but AI operating reliably inside real-world systems, machines, workflows, and environments. Seeing this closely across companies working in robotics, healthcare AI, and intelligent systems, one thing is becoming very clear:the next wave of enduring companies may be built at the intersection of agentic AI, edge intelligence, robotics, industrial infrastructure, and deployment-scale learning. India is uniquely positioned for this moment. 🇮🇳