Nugen Secures Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize AI Reliability for Businesses
In a significant step toward addressing one of the most pressing challenges in artificial intelligence, Nugen, an AI research startup based in Mumbai and San Francisco, has announced the successful completion of a pre-seed funding round. The funding, led by Antler VC as part of its inaugural AI Disrupt portfolio, will accelerate the development of Nugen’s groundbreaking Domain-Aligned AI™ technology. With over $1 million in capital and GPU perks committed through Antler’s program, along with additional support from prominent Silicon Valley investors, Nugen is poised to pioneer reliable AI solutions tailored for high-stakes business environments.
The announcement underscores the growing demand for AI systems that organizations can trust to deliver consistent, accurate, and domain-specific outcomes. Despite the remarkable advancements in frontier AI models, Fortune 500 executives remain hesitant to deploy generative AI tools in critical workflows due to concerns about reliability and alignment with business objectives. Nugen’s mission is to bridge this gap by developing AI technologies that businesses can confidently integrate into their operations.
Solving the Trust Gap in AI Deployment
At the heart of Nugen’s innovation is its Domain-Aligned AI™ technology, which leverages cutting-edge interpretability research to align model behavior with domain-specific reasoning. This approach enables organizations to deploy AI systems that are not only powerful but also predictable and aligned with their unique operational needs. By embedding reliability measures directly into the deep learning architecture, Nugen eliminates the need for costly post-training processes and excessive prompt engineering, streamlining AI adoption across industries.
“What excites us most about Nugen is their fundamental approach to the reliability problem,” said Winnie Khoo, Partner at Antler. “Instead of treating AI reliability as an afterthought, they’ve built it into the core of their deep learning architecture. This creates defensible technology moats and serves as key infrastructure enabling businesses to deploy AI reliably at scale.”
A World-Class Team Driving Innovation
Nugen’s success is fueled by its exceptional team of co-founders, who bring a wealth of expertise in deep learning, computational mathematics, and go-to-market strategies. Aakash Patil, one of the co-founders, brings deep learning expertise honed during his research at Stanford University and a Ph.D. from France’s top computational mathematics program.
“There’s a critical gap between AI capabilities and organizational trust,” said Patil. “Nugen bridges that gap with architecture-level reliability through interpretability, creating foundational research that multiplies impact across every domain.”
Mrunmayee Shende, the other co-founder, contributes extensive experience in deep tech go-to-market strategies across EMEA and APJ markets. “We are building AI infrastructure that lets organizations own their competitive advantage and make it smarter over time,” added Shende. “AI-first companies in sectors like legal, corporate finance, and others where trust is non-negotiable are eager to work with Nugen.”
The combination of Patil’s technical acumen and Shende’s market expertise positions Nugen as a leader in developing AI solutions that meet both technological and business requirements.
Building the Future of Reliable AI
With the new funding, Nugen plans to expand its research initiatives and enhance its go-to-market efforts. The company is actively recruiting top-tier talent globally to join its research team in India. These opportunities are designed for individuals passionate about tackling fundamental AI reliability and alignment challenges while contributing to the future of AI-native societies.
Nugen’s focus on interpretability and domain alignment sets it apart in the crowded AI landscape. Traditional AI models often struggle to adapt to specific industries or use cases, leading to suboptimal performance and eroded trust. By contrast, Nugen’s Domain-Aligned AI™ ensures that models are not only technically robust but also contextually relevant, making them ideal for sectors where precision and reliability are paramount.
For example, in the legal industry, where even minor errors can have significant consequences, Nugen’s technology could enable AI systems to analyze contracts, predict case outcomes, and provide actionable insights with unprecedented accuracy. Similarly, in corporate finance, Nugen’s AI could streamline complex financial modeling, risk assessment, and compliance monitoring, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions with confidence.
A Vision for AI-Native Societies
As AI continues to permeate various aspects of modern life, the need for reliable, trustworthy systems becomes increasingly urgent. Nugen envisions a future where AI is not just a tool but a cornerstone of AI-native societies—environments where humans and machines collaborate seamlessly to achieve shared goals. By focusing on reliability and alignment, Nugen aims to lay the groundwork for this transformative vision.
The startup’s emphasis on interpretability also addresses growing ethical concerns surrounding AI. As AI systems become more complex, understanding how they arrive at decisions is crucial for maintaining transparency and accountability. Nugen’s architecture-level reliability ensures that these systems are not only effective but also explainable, fostering trust among users and stakeholders.
