### IITian CEO Ditches ₹4 Crore Job for AI Dream: Giga Raises $61 Million in Series A
In a classic tale of entrepreneurial grit, Varun Vummadi, a 2020 IIT Kharagpur alumnus, walked away from a high-octane $525,000 (approximately ₹4.4 crore) quant trader role at a top U.S. firm—along with a Stanford PhD offer—to chase his vision in AI. Teaming up with fellow IITian and co-founder Esha Manideep (also IIT Kharagpur '20), who turned down a ₹1.25 crore job at an Indian high-frequency trading firm, they launched Giga in 2023. Fast-forward to November 2025: Their San Francisco-based startup, specializing in voice AI agents, has secured $61 million in Series A funding, validating their bold pivot from stable careers to startup uncertainty.
The duo, both Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, bootstrapped Giga amid the AI boom, pivoting from initial LLM fine-tuning experiments (which topped benchmarks but lacked business viability) to practical voice tech that handles real-time, multilingual customer interactions. Their story resonates in India's startup ecosystem, where IIT grads increasingly bet on AI over cushy finance gigs, amid a wave of $100M+ rounds for voice and agentic AI firms.
#### Founders' Background
| Founder | Role | Key Achievements & Sacrifices |
|---------|------|-------------------------------|
| **Varun Vummadi** | Co-Founder & CEO | IIT Kharagpur (B.Tech, CSE); Declined Stanford PhD and $525K quant job; Leads growth, partnerships; "AI felt like a racing track" post-finance world. |
| **Esha Manideep** | Co-Founder & CTO | IIT Kharagpur (B.Tech, CSE); Turned down ₹1.25 Cr HFT role; Oversees product/tech; Focused on building "something that lasts" over funding hype. |
Both hail from modest beginnings—Varun from Andhra Pradesh—and credit IIT's rigorous problem-solving culture for their edge in AI engineering.
#### What Does Giga Do?
Giga develops voice-based AI agents that automate customer operations for enterprises, enabling natural, low-latency conversations in multiple languages (English, Hindi, Spanish, etc.). Unlike chatbots, these agents integrate speech and text seamlessly, handling interruptions, accents, and context—crucial for high-volume sectors like e-commerce and delivery.
- **Key Features**: Real-time response (<200ms latency), multilingual support, enterprise-grade security; Scales to millions of interactions daily.
- **Early Traction**: Powers DoorDash's customer service (handling thousands of calls); Expanding to banking, healthcare, and retail; Targets Fortune 100 clients.
- **Tech Edge**: Built on proprietary models fine-tuned for voice, drawing from founders' ML expertise; Y Combinator-backed since 2023.
The $61M will fuel hiring (aiming for 100+ engineers) and R&D into agentic AI for complex workflows, positioning Giga in the $50B+ conversational AI market (projected 25% CAGR to 2030).
#### Funding Breakdown
| Round | Amount | Lead Investor | Other Participants | Valuation (Est.) | Use of Funds |
|-------|--------|---------------|--------------------|------------------|--------------|
| **Series A** (Nov 2025) | $61M | Redpoint Ventures | Y Combinator, Nexus Venture Partners | ~$200-250M post-money | Team expansion, product scaling, enterprise integrations |
This round comes hot on the heels of global AI fervor, with similar voice AI peers like Bland AI ($16M) and ElevenLabs ($80M) raising big. Investors bet on Giga's "foundational layer" for customer ops, amid DoorDash's validation.
#### The Viral Announcement & Backlash
The funding reveal exploded on X, but not just for the dollars. Esha's reflective post—"We have raised $61M, but that’s not what excites me... the business was not viable"—highlighted their pivot and long-term vision, earning nods for authenticity.
Varun's deadpan video response? A single line: "I am excited about the $61 Million." Delivered with wide-eyed sarcasm, it racked up 500K+ views, memes, and laughs—poking fun at startup theater while underscoring real joy in the build. As Varun tweeted: "We have raised a $61M Series A to automate customer operations. The world's leading companies like DoorDash trust Giga..."
But success drew trolls: Racist jabs targeted their Indian accents ("another call center tech"), looks ("hire attractive people for the demo"), and heritage ("autistic IIT nerds"). Satirical barbs predicted economic fallout from "Indian innovation." Supporters fired back: "They attack appearance when they can't touch the brilliance." The founders stayed unfazed, with Esha quipping on resilience.
#### What Experts & Peers Are Saying
- **Redpoint's Ryan Sarver**: "Varun and Esha are building the best foundational AI layer for customer service—voice that feels human."
- **Y Combinator's Garry Tan (via repost)**: "From IIT to YC to $61M—proof talent trumps pedigree."
- **Indian Startup Twitter**: Mixed awe and envy; @startup__pedia called it "humor vs. depth" gold. Broader sentiment: Inspiring for IITians eyeing AI exits from Big Tech/finance.
Giga's trajectory underscores AI's pull on India's talent pool—over 10,000 IIT grads now in U.S. AI roles, per LinkedIn. For Varun, it's simple: "Quitting ₹4 Cr felt risky, but AI's pace made finance feel slow." Watch for Giga's Q1 2026 pilots with more Fortune 500s.
Who are Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep?
Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep were both featured on the Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” list in 2024. While Esha Manideep serves as co-founder and CTO of Giga, Varun Vummadi is the CEO and co-founder of the AI company. Both graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.
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Announcing the $61 million funding, Varun Vummadi tweeted, “We have raised a $61M Series A to automate customer operations. The world’s leading companies like DoorDash trust Giga to supercharge customer experience with AI.”
