Nvidia backs Indian startup Simplismart in $14M round

Chip giant invests in software that helps companies run AI models more efficiently, potentially with fewer GPUs

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published27 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources3 outlets

Illustration: Nvidia backs Indian startup Simplismart in $14M round

Nvidia has invested in Indian startup Simplismart as part of a $14 million Series B funding round, betting on software that helps companies run AI models more efficiently and, in some cases, with fewer GPUs.

As the AI boom strains computing capacity, Nvidia has backed Indian startup Simplismart in a $14 million funding round, betting on software that helps companies run AI models more efficiently and, in some cases, with fewer GPUs. Nvidia participated in the all-primary Series B round alongside Accel, Shastra VC, and Micromax, with Dallas Venture Capital leading the investment. The deal values the four-year-old startup at about $100 million, including the new funding.

Simplismart says its software automates the work of deploying and operating AI models, tailoring how they run on existing computing infrastructure instead of requiring customers to manage those configurations themselves. “Nobody actually needs the fastest or the cheapest inference,” Amritanshu Jain, co-founder and CEO of Simplismart, said in an interview. He said companies need to run AI models at speeds and costs that make sense for their specific applications.

The Bengaluru-based startup offers a platform for deploying and running AI models, as well as tools to fine-tune models, automatically scale computing resources as demand changes, and monitor performance. It says it helped AI video-generation platform InVideo cut its GPU serving costs by 56%. The startup also works with AI video companies HeyGen and Higgsfield, as well as enterprise AI startup Ema. Indian cloud provider Yotta uses Simplismart’s technology to power the serverless AI inference service within its Shakti Studio platform.

Simplismart’s annualized revenue run rate has grown 14-fold over the past six months to an eight-figure sum, Jain told TechCrunch. The figure is based on recent customer usage rather than contracted recurring revenue and excludes revenue passed through to infrastructure providers. More than half of Simplismart’s revenue comes from the US, despite the startup having more customers in India.

Alongside its investment, Nvidia has been working with Simplismart on technical integrations, including around its Dynamo inference software. The collaboration involves Simplismart’s engineers and Nvidia’s solutions architects, while Nvidia has also helped introduce the startup to potential customers and partners.

The investment presents an apparent paradox as Nvidia, the dominant supplier of AI chips, is backing software that can help companies run some workloads with fewer GPUs. Jain argued that making AI inference more efficient could ultimately benefit Nvidia by making its hardware more attractive to customers and encouraging wider adoption of AI applications.

Simplismart is serving customers in a crowded market for AI inference software, competing with offerings from Nvidia itself, as well as major cloud providers including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. “Where we tend to win is where people have to be more stringent on their SLAs [service-level agreements] and TCO [total cost of ownership],” Jain said, referring to demanding performance requirements and tight cost constraints.

Founded in 2022 by former Oracle engineer Jain and former Google engineer Devansh Ghatak, Simplismart grew out of the pair’s experience building and deploying machine-learning systems. The startup now employs 58 people.

Simplismart plans to use the new funding to expand its presence in the US, grow its team, and invest further in developing its inference software.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

Nvidia, the dominant supplier of AI chips, is investing in software that could reduce demand for its own GPUs, signalling a bet that efficiency will drive broader AI adoption.
The deal highlights growing competition in the AI inference software market, where startups are racing to help companies cut costs and improve performance.
Simplismart's rapid revenue growth and US-focused expansion strategy underscore the global demand for more efficient AI deployment tools.

Background

Simplismart is a four-year-old Bengaluru-based startup that develops software to help companies deploy and run AI models more efficiently. Its platform sits between AI models and computing infrastructure, automating adjustments to balance speed, cost, and performance. The company was founded in 2022 by Amritanshu Jain, a former Oracle engineer, and Devansh Ghatak, a former Google engineer, who met while studying at BITS Pilani. The funding round also included investors Accel, Shastra VC, Micromax, and Dallas Venture Capital.

Key Perspectives

Amritanshu Jain, co-founder and CEO of Simplismart: Said nobody needs the fastest or cheapest inference, but rather speeds and costs that suit specific applications. He argued that making AI inference more efficient could ultimately benefit Nvidia by encouraging wider AI adoption. Nvidia: Invested in Simplismart and is collaborating on technical integrations, including around its Dynamo inference software, while also helping introduce the startup to potential customers and partners.

What to Watch

How Simplismart's US expansion progresses and whether it can win customers against larger cloud providers.
Whether Nvidia's investment signals a broader strategy of backing efficiency-focused startups that could lower GPU demand.
The response from competitors like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure in the inference software space.

Sources

Nvidia backs Indian startup helping companies run AI models with fewer GPUs · TechCrunch
Nvidia backs Indian startup helping companies run AI models with fewer GPUs · TechCrunch
Nvidia backs Indian startup helping companies run AI models with fewer GPUs · TechCrunch

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedNvidia backed Simplismart in a $14 million round.TechCrunch: “Nvidia has backed Indian startup Simplismart in a $14 million funding round”
SupportedNvidia is investing in software that helps companies run AI models more efficiently, potentially using fewer GPUs in some cases.TechCrunch: “betting on software that helps companies run AI models more efficiently and, in some cases, with fewer GPUs.”
SupportedThe round was a Series B, with Nvidia, Accel, Shastra VC and Micromax participating and Dallas Venture Capital leading.TechCrunch: “Nvidia participated in the all-primary Series B round alongside Accel, Shastra VC, and Micromax, with Dallas Venture Capital leading the investment.”
SupportedThe deal values Simplismart at about $100 million, including the new funding.TechCrunch: “The deal values the four-year-old startup at about $100 million, including the new funding.”
SupportedJain said, “Nobody actually needs the fastest or the cheapest inference,” in an interview.TechCrunch: ““Nobody actually needs the fastest or the cheapest inference,” Amritanshu Jain (pictured above, left), co-founder and CEO of Simplismart, said in an interview.”
SupportedSimplismart says it helped InVideo cut its GPU serving costs by 56%.TechCrunch: “Simplismart says it helped AI video-generation platform InVideo cut its GPU serving costs by 56% using its software.”
SupportedJain told TechCrunch that Simplismart’s annualized revenue run rate grew 14-fold over six months to an eight-figure sum.TechCrunch: “Simplismart’s annualized revenue run rate has grown 14-fold over the past six months to an eight-figure sum, Jain told TechCrunch.”
Partly supportedThe revenue-run-rate figure is based on recent customer usage, not contracted recurring revenue, and excludes revenue passed through to infrastructure providers.TechCrunch: “The figure is based on recent customer usage rather than contracted recurring revenue and excludes revenue passed through to infrastructure providers, the company said.”
Partly supportedMore than half of Simplismart’s revenue comes from the US, despite it having more customers in India.TechCrunch: “More than half of Simplismart’s revenue comes from the U.S., despite the startup having more customers in India, Jain said.”
Partly supportedNvidia has been working with Simplismart on technical integrations, including around its Dynamo inference software.TechCrunch: “Alongside its investment, Nvidia has been working with Simplismart on technical integrations, including around its Dynamo inference software, Jain told TechCrunch.”
Partly supportedNvidia helped introduce Simplismart to potential customers and partners.TechCrunch: “The collaboration involves Simplismart’s engineers and Nvidia’s solutions architects, while Nvidia has also helped introduce the startup to potential customers and partners, Jain stated.”
SupportedJain said, “Where we tend to win is where people have to be more stringent on their SLAs [service-level agreements] and TCO [total cost of ownership],” referring to demanding performance requirements and tight cost constraints.TechCrunch: ““Where we tend to win is where people have to be more stringent on their SLAs [service-level agreements] and TCO [total cost of ownership],” Jain said, referring to demanding performance requirements and tight cost constraints.”