A precursor to the highly anticipated Mumbai Tech Week 2025, the exclusive event witnessed discussions on AI and its impact on the global business landscape
The Tech Entrepreneurs Association of Mumbai (TEAM) hosted Aravind Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, at BayClub, BKC. In an exclusive setting, featuring Mumbai’s tech and entrepreneurial community, Srinivas shared unique perspectives on the evolving world of AI, its impact on businesses globally and future plans for Perplexity.
The evening opened with a dynamic conversation between Mr. Srinivas and Aakrit Vaish, Advisor IndiaAI Mission and Co-Chair, TEAM, delving into the evolution of Perplexity and its groundbreaking approach to AI. Srinivas shared the story behind the genesis of Perplexity AI–conceived even before ChatGPT captured global attention, Perplexity emerged from Mr. Srinivas’ passion for search technologies and his drive to create a credible, user-focused AI platform. Drawing on his experience at OpenAI and a deep understanding of search technologies, he offered insights into the initial hurdles the startup faced and how a strategic, product-centric approach proved crucial for establishing a foothold in a competitive market.
Touching upon responsible AI innovation, Aravind Srinivas commented, “The journey of Perplexity began with a leap of faith. We built the platform prioritising accuracy and transparency. But today, the true potential of AI lies in its ability to anticipate user needs and offer proactive solutions; not just respond to queries. AI is all about amplifying business potential and improving efficiency while making life truly easy and more meaningful.”
The key highlights of the event included discussions around Perplexity’s model-agnostic innovation and the way forward. Mr.Srinivas shared that Perplexity’s focus on accuracy and transparency, through features like citations and verified sources made the product stand apart. Today, the platform has evolved and is processing over 20 million queries a day. Looking ahead, Mr. Srinivas is focused on creating richer, more interactive user experiences that go beyond basic prompt responses. The platform will soon offer unique shopping experiences, integrated financial charts, local booking capabilities, and improved access to sports-related content. While Perplexity expands its offerings, Mr. Srinivas also emphasised on his ambition of achieving a target of 100 million queries daily. With the recent funding, he aims to acquire more users, minimize AI hallucinations, improve indexing, while providing users access to premium AI models.
A keen observer of India’s emerging role in the global tech landscape, Mr. Srinivas urged Indian founders to develop world-class, AI-first models and innovations. Recognizing the current investment landscape, he emphasized leveraging India’s India’s vast internet user base and readily available open-source models to build concrete use cases, particularly in areas like Healthtech, and fintech where India possesses unique advantages. He encouraged a shift from building solely India-specific AI models to creating globally impactful solutions, envisioning Indian-made apps used worldwide. Closing the evening, he called for more usage of Perplexity in India, especially by businesses to improve efficiency.
ABOUT TEAM
Tech Entrepreneurs Association of Mumbai (TEAM) is a non-profit, independent industry association formed with the mission of advancing the tech ecosystem of Mumbai. Formed by some of the city’s most successful tech founders, TEAM is on a mission to promote Mumbai as the hub for tech entrepreneurship.
Its Governing Council comprises of Harsh Jain, Co-Founder Dream 11, Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder Haptik, Naiyya Saggi, Co-Founder The Good Glamm Group, Dhruvil Sanghvi, Co-Founder LogiNext, Akanksha Hazari, Founder LoveLocal, Vishal Gondal, Founder GoQii, Mayank Kumar, Co-Founder Upgrad and Vivek Khemani, Co-Founder Quantiphi.
65+ members are founders from Mumbai-based tech companies: BillDesk, BookMyShow, Chalo Mobility, CitiusTech, CleverTap, Dezerv, Dream11, Drip Capital, Eruditus, Fino Payments Bank, Fractal Analytics, FlexiLoans, Games24x7, GetVantage, GOQii, Gupshup, Haptik, Hungama, Infibeam Avenues, Invideo, LEAD School, Loco, LogiNext, LoveLocal, Mosaic Wellness, Nazara Technologies, Netcore Cloud, Shaadi.com, Pepper Content, Pepperfry, PharmEasy, Pine Labs, Prismforce, Purplle, Quantiphi, Rebel Foods, Route Mobile, Servify, The Good Glamm Group, The Souled Store, Turtlemint, upGrad, Upstox, WebEngage, and Zeta.
