haf.vc Invests INR 3 Crore in Hunar.AI, Strengthens Its Pan-India Investment Strategy

haf.vc, a SEBI-registered Category I venture capital fund built on the decade-long legacy of Hyderabad Angels, has invested ₹3 crore in Hunar.AI, a conversational artificial intelligence company focused on frontline workforce management. The investment reflects the fund’s approach to identifying businesses with scalable models, differentiated technology and the potential to address significant market needs.

The investment will be used for AI infrastructure, product development, sales and market expansion, targeting businesses that need to recruit and manage large workforces across locations and languages.

For haf.vc, the investment in Hunar.AI represents another step in backing businesses with the potential to translate demonstrated market demand into scalable growth. Building on its legacy in India’s startup ecosystem, haf.vc continues to focus on identifying founders and companies at pivotal stages where capital and strategic support can help accelerate their next phase of development.

Founded in 2022 by Krishna Khandelwal and Shantanu Bhattacharyya, Hunar.AI builds conversational AI agents that hire, onboard, train and engage frontline workers across languages, through voice and WhatsApp.

Commenting on the investment, Mr. Kalyan Sivalenka, Managing Partner, haf.vc, said: "India’s frontline workforce is huge, multilingual and largely underserved by technology. Hunar.AI understands this problem from the ground up. Its team began in workforce services and turned that experience into AI that works in the languages and workflows of the people it serves. That kind of domain depth compounds over time, and it is what we look for a Series A. Investing alongside Blume Ventures and a strong syndicate also reflects how haf.vc now works: Hyderabad capital backing the best founders across India.”

Mr. Krishna Khandelwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Hunar.AI, said:  “Hyderabad is one of the fastest-growing hubs for logistics, retail and services hiring, and that is exactly where frontline workforce problems are most acute. Having haf.vc on board strengthens our reach in this market as we take our multilingual conversational AI to more enterprises in Telangana".

haf.vc works closely with founders through capital, strategic mentorship and access to a network of entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors. While rooted in Hyderabad’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the fund follows a pan-India investment approach, collaborating with venture capital firms and co-investors to identify opportunities across sectors and geographies.

Through its network-led investment model and sector-agnostic approach, haf.vc seeks to identify opportunities across India’s startup ecosystem while building long-term value for founders and investors.