“With rising inflation and labour rates, landscapers are looking to automate archaic manual workflows and gain efficiencies. We are the only ones with the technology infrastructure to truly automate traditional workflows and save time on manual tasks like measuring each and every site feature to bid on a new property,” said Dhawan, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Attentive.
An artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) SaaS (software as a service) startup, Attentive Inc raised $5 million from Sequoia India’s Surge Fund and InfoEdge Ventures. The fund will be used to build the platform and add more modules to automate the remaining landscaping workflows, Attentive Inc said in a statement on July 12.
This comes on the back of recent media reports about venture capitalists taking more interest in SaaS companies than segments like consumer tech and fintech, at a time when startup funding is losing steam, according to industry insiders.
Founded in 2017 by Rishabjit Singh, Sarthak Vijay, and Shiva Dhawan, Attentive has built a SaaS-based sales automation platform for the outdoor service industry. The over $200 billion industry includes landscaping, snow removal, paving, and pest control businesses said the company.
“With rising inflation and labour rates, landscapers are looking to automate archaic manual workflows and gain efficiencies. We are the only ones with the technology infrastructure to truly automate traditional workflows and save time on manual tasks like measuring each and every site feature to bid on a new property,” said Dhawan, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Attentive.
“Raising funds in today’s market is a strong validation of our business fundamentals. The funds will allow us to hire and retain the best talent across product, technology, and sales and expand our operations across the US and Canada,” added Vijay.
A recent report released by venture capital firm Chiratae Ventures and consultancy firm Zinnov in April said the Indian SaaS industry is set to clock in $100 billion in revenues by 2026. The report also said that venture capital investments in the sector grew three-fold in 2021 to over $4 billion and it is expected to grow by 55% to touch $6.5 billion over the next year.
Amit Behl, Partner at InfoEdge Ventures said, “Shiva and Attentive team have been very impressive in moulding their expertise in geospatial AI into an AI-led product that holds its own in front of global competition.”
