Bolna secures $6.3M from General Catalyst to revolutionize India’s voice-tech ecosystem

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by Tech Crunch, click this post to read the original article.

If you’re looking to understand the booming voice AI market in India, Bolna is a name worth knowing. This voice orchestration startup, co-founded by Maitreya Wagh and Prateek Sachan, has tapped into a rising demand among Indian enterprises and startups for efficient AI-powered communication. Despite early skepticism—Y Combinator rejected the company five times over doubts about monetization—Bolna proved its potential by securing a steady $25,000 in monthly recurring revenue through its product pilots. Their pricing has since jumped from $100 to $500 per pilot, and the company recently raised a $6.3 million seed round led by General Catalyst, with backing from Y Combinator and several other investors.

Bolna’s product stands out by making sophisticated AI voice agents easy for you to build, even if you’re not tech-savvy. Think of it as a platform that manages different voice AI technologies while catering to the unique communication needs in India. For example, it handles noisy environments, integrates with the Truecaller platform for caller ID verification, and supports mixed languages—something very relevant for Indian users. A key feature lets the voice agent speak numbers in English regardless of the main language, and you can use keypad inputs for longer interactions.

You’ll appreciate Bolna’s flexibility if you’re managing different technologies or wanting a customized solution. As an orchestration layer, the platform allows you to switch between AI models easily, ensuring you’re always using the best available tech. This is especially helpful for enterprises that need model agility without being locked into one system. It’s also self-serve friendly—three-quarters of Bolna’s revenue comes from users building and launching their own agents.

Bolna’s client list includes companies like Spinny, Snabbit, and several beverage and dating apps, primarily small to midsize businesses using its self-serve tools. For bigger operations, Bolna brings in forward-deployed engineers who adapt the platform directly on-site. The company has already signed two large enterprises and is working on pilots with four more. Its team of nine engineers is growing, adding two to three more each month.

Currently handling over 200,000 calls a day and nearing $700,000 in annual recurring revenue, Bolna is seeing growth both in usage and language adoption—while most calls are in English or Hindi, other regional languages are gaining traction. If you’re searching for a voice AI solution that offers both technical ease and cultural fit for the Indian market, Bolna is positioning itself as a powerful, flexible option.