Nasscom on Friday (April 17, 2026) announced the fourth cohort of its GenAI Foundry programme, inducting 33 high potential generative AI startups and marking the continued expansion of one of India’s most focused platforms for building globally competitive GenAI ventures.

A Nasscom survey of participating startups highlights the programme’s growing impact on business outcomes across the previous three editions. Confirmed portfolio ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) is grown from $3.9 million in FY 2023-24 to $9.7 million in FY 2024-25 and is projected to reach nearly $35 million across the programme cohort in FY 2025-26, said Nasscom.

According to the industry apex body, the analysis also indicates a strong correlation between programme engagement and revenue outcomes. Over 60% of the startups that attribute their growth to the Foundry reported a median ARR of $300K, compared to $90K for those with lower engagement levels. While this reflects both programme value and founder commitment, it underscored the importance of sustained startup participation. The programme has also received a Net Promoter Score of 76, with a majority of founders rating it highly, while identifying structured enterprise access as an area for further strengthening

Nasscom further said, the funding ambition of participating startups has also expanded significantly. Some 37 startups are currently raising capital, with a combined target of $120 million. Several founders have also scaled their funding ambitions by 9X since joining the programme, reflecting increased market confidence and clearer growth pathways.

The fourth cohort reflects both scale and diversity across the ecosystem. Of the 33 startups selected this year, 14 are led by women founders/co-founders, and more than half report an average revenue of over $50K. 17 startups are bootstrapped, highlighting strong founder driven growth, whereas more than 20 startups are actively raising a median funding of $1.7 million.

Startups are also building generative AI and cybersecurity AI across sectors such as enterprise technology, fintech, healthtech, edtech, media and entertainment, consumer and retail, and legal. Key areas of innovation include developer tools and infrastructure, marketing solutions, automation, content generation, analytics, and customer support. 

Ankit Bose, head of AI at Nasscom, said, “The evolution we are seeing in the GenAI Foundry is a testament to the maturing Indian AI ecosystem. We are moving beyond simple experimentation toward sustainable business models and global scale.”

This program was designed to bridge the gap between innovation and enterprise adoption, ensuring that Indian startups are not just building technology but are solving high-value problems for the global market, he said.

The Nasscom GenAI Foundry was initiated in October 2023, Over the past three cohorts, more than 100 startups have been part of the programme. Since its launch, the platform has facilitated over 530 investor and enterprise touchpoints.