Frinks AI, a manufacturing AI startup by IIT Hyderabad alumni, raises $5.4m led by Prime Ventures

PRNewswire

Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], May 28: Frinks AI, a deep-tech startup founded by IIT Hyderabad alumni, has raised $5.4 million in a Pre-Series A round led by Prime Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to $6.25 million. The company is building next-generation Vision AI systems that help manufacturers automate and elevate quality control on their production lines.

The round also saw participation from existing investor Chiratae Ventures, along with Navam Capital and Ashok Atluri, Founder of Zen Technologies. Frinks AI is additionally backed by prominent industry leaders including Mr. S Ramadorai (former MD & CEO, TCS), Dr. V Sumantran (former Executive Director, Tata Motors), Dr. Tarun Ramadorai (Prof Imperial College of London), and Dr. Gopichand Katragadda (former Group CTO, Tata Sons), who continue to support the company as strategic investors and advisors.

What began as an ambitious idea in the research labs of IIT Hyderabad is now a transformative force in industrial AI. Founded by Aditya Agrawal, Dharmgya Sharma, and Subhra S. Bhattacherjee, Frinks AI is developing foundational vision models -- highly generalizable AI systems purpose-built for visual inspection and quality control in manufacturing.

"With ongoing supply chain disruptions and rising global trade tensions, we're seeing a strong push toward localized manufacturing as countries prioritize internal consumption," said Aditya Agrawal, CEO and Co-founder of Frinks AI. "This marks the beginning of a new industrial revolution--one powered by advanced technologies that drive higher productivity and cost efficiency. Frinks AI is at the forefront of this transformation, helping manufacturers worldwide become more competitive, resilient, and future-ready."

Frinks AI's Vision AI platform is already in use by leading manufacturers across automobile, consumer goods, building materials, and medical devices sectors. Customers have reported measurable improvements in product quality, fewer defects, and major efficiency gains on the factory floor.

With the latest funding, Frinks AI aims to scale its platform across global markets, invest aggressively in R&D, and expand its presence in the US which is a key market for such technologies. To accelerate growth, the company is actively exploring partnerships with automation companies and OEM's for a joint go-to-market initiative. These foundational models are designed to overcome long-standing reliability and generalisation challenges in industrial machine vision, by offering superior intelligence and greater adaptability.

"Visual inspection in manufacturing has been around for 50 years but owing to rule-based approach, its applicability has been limited to