EVENT MARCH 2026 • CHENNAI

Awards’26

India’s AI inflection, recognised. Beyond adoption. Beyond integration. Toward original capability. These awards are not retrospective — they are directional.

// WHY THE AWARDS EXIST

India is entering a new phase of its AI journey — beyond adoption, toward original capability.

India has shown real strength at the application layer — translating global models into outcomes across enterprises, industries, and markets. The next chapter demands more. The AIBoomi Awards recognise builders across this spectrum, from scaled AI businesses to early, research-driven frontier work.

This is not about hype. It is about capability.

01 Deeper technical ownership

02 Stronger infrastructure primitives

03 Original research and foundational work

04 Stronger infrastructure primitives

05 Systems designed for scale, safety, and reasoning — not just workflows

6

42

Nominees

24

Finalists

// THE WINNERS

And the winners are…

Six categories. The builders shaping India’s AI future — celebrated at AIBoomi Annual ’26.

// 01 WINNER Startup of the year

Emergent

// 01 RUNNERS-UP

Innovaccer Amagi Atlan PriceLabs MoEngage

// 02 WINNER Scale Up Startup of the Year

Atlan

// 02 RUNNERS-UP

PriceLabs Observe Safe

// 03 WINNER Frontier AI & Research

Sarvam

// 03 RUNNERS-UP

Smallest.ai Shunya Labs Inito QPI

// 04 WINNER DevTools & Infrastructure

TrueFoundry

// 04 RUNNERS-UP

Portkey Kubesense NeevCloud Levo

// 05 WINNER Breakout Startup of the Year

UnifyApps

// 05 RUNNERS-UP

Rocket Scrut EMA SuperOps

// 06 WINNER Build for Bharat

PetPooja

// 06 RUNNERS-UP

FieldAssist Greyt 1DigitalStack Bizom

The AIBoomi Awards 2026 draw inspiration from Chaturanga, the ancient Indian strategy game that later evolved into chess. Chaturanga was not about speed or spectacle. It was about balance, foresight, and the interplay of different kinds of power.

Each piece mattered. Each move changed the board. The award categories mirror this philosophy. Every category represents a distinct role in shaping India’s AI future.  Together, they define the game.

// sponsors

// CATEGORIES

AI & SaaS Startup of the Year

The core intelligence of the Raja, defining the game and shaping its outcome. This award recognises Indian-founded companies where AI sits at the heart of the product, driving global impact, category leadership, and long-term value creation.

Scale-up Startup of the Year

Gaja in motion, steady in scale and decisive in impact. For startups that have crossed $25M ARR and demonstrated durable growth, execution depth, and the ability to scale responsibly in an AI-shaped software landscape.

Breakout Startup of the Year

The non-linear leap of the Ashva,breaking patterns and creating momentum. This award recognises startups that have achieved breakout traction through bold AI-native execution, sharp pivots, or new category creation.

Build for Bharat Startup of the Year

Strategic foresight of the Mantri, translating vision into real-world impact. For companies building AI-powered products that solve uniquely Indian problems at scale, with $3M+ ARR and the majority of revenue coming from India.

DevTools & Infrastructure Startup of the Year

Foundational Padati, whose systems advance every move forward. This award honours teams building the platforms, infrastructure, data systems, and core primitives that power the AI ecosystem and enable others to build, scale, and innovate.

Frontier AI & Research Startup of the Year

Long-range vision of the Ratha, charting paths for future intelligence. Recognising founders advancing foundational AI capabilities through deep research, frontier models, advanced reasoning systems, and long-horizon technical bets. Pre-revenue and research-heavy teams are explicitly included.

// HOW THE AWARDS WORK