A team of former executives from Swiggy, Zomato and other leading technology companies has launched Profound, an artificial intelligence-powered professional networking and hiring platform, after raising $1.5 million in seed funding.
The Bengaluru-based startup was founded by Anuj Rathi and Prashant Parashar, who have previously held leadership roles at companies including Swiggy, Zomato, Cleartrip, Flipkart, Ola and Walmart Labs.
The funding round saw participation from venture capital firms including Stellaris Venture Partners and 3one4 Capital, along with angel investors such as Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, Swiggy co-founder Nandan Reddy, former Zomato co-founder Pankaj Chaddah, Razorpay CEO Harshil Mathur, and other technology entrepreneurs.
Profound is building an AI-driven alternative to traditional professional networking platforms, where users no longer rely solely on resumes or online profiles to discover opportunities. The platform creates an AI representative for professionals by conducting voice-based conversations to understand their experience, skills, working style and career goals.
The AI representative is designed to help users discover relevant career opportunities and facilitate professional introductions based on their profile and ambitions. For companies, the platform allows hiring teams to create AI representatives for specific roles, helping them capture hiring requirements through conversational interactions rather than conventional job descriptions.
The founders believe AI can improve how professionals connect with opportunities by moving away from keyword-driven hiring processes and enabling more personalised matchmaking between candidates and organisations.
Profound is currently available through an early-access programme, with a wider beta rollout planned later. The startup enters a growing market of AI-powered platforms attempting to reshape recruitment, networking and workplace interactions.
The launch comes amid increasing investor interest in AI-native startups in India, with entrepreneurs from established technology companies building new ventures focused on applying artificial intelligence to everyday business processes.
