Fleet management startup Motive Technologies is set to more than double its workforce in India, becoming part of the growing trend of Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence (AI) unicorns expanding their presence in the South Asian country.
The San Francisco-headquartered company plans to hire over 300 employees for its AI, product, and engineering teams at its Bangalore development centre over the next two years, as shared by CEO Shoaib Makani in a recent interview. With a valuation of $2.85 billion following a 2022 funding round, Motive provides tools that help fleet operators manage their workforce, vehicles, and expenses, as per The Economic Times report.
Motive is among the tech startups that are joining industry giants like Meta and Microsoft in establishing a foothold in India. These companies are tapping into the country’s vast pool of AI engineering talent to accelerate product development and drive innovation. In particular, the city of Bangalore has become a key hub for AI-focused investments, as the tech sector pours billions of dollars into expanding facilities and hiring top AI talent in the world’s most populous nation.
“The AI talent density in Bangalore rivals the Bay Area,” said Shoaib Makani, CEO of Motive and a former Google and Khosla Ventures executive. “If you aren’t in Bangalore, you are at a strategic disadvantage.”
Bangalore, recognised as India’s leading tech hub, will host a third of Motive’s global R&D workforce. With around 120,000 customers, including major companies like FedEx Corp. and Halliburton Co., Motive currently employs approximately 250 people in the country.
AI Driving Global Economic Impact
AI is projected to generate a cumulative global economic impact of $19.9 trillion by 2030, driving growth worldwide, according to a recent study by market research firm IDC. However, a significant talent shortage could hinder its widespread adoption. A report from Bain & Co. indicates that by 2027, half of all AI jobs in the US will remain unfilled, and India will face a shortage of one million skilled AI professionals by the same year.
In response to this growing demand for AI expertise, Abbyy Software, an AI-powered document automation unicorn, recently opened a new R&D center in Bangalore, offering around 65 positions, with plans to double that number in the next year. Ulf Persson, CEO of the Milpitas, California-based company, highlighted the region’s skilled workforce, which offers significant opportunities for startups, states the report.
Glean Technologies, a Palo Alto-based enterprise AI startup valued at $4.6 billion, had around 100 engineers in its Bangalore development center last year and plans to triple that headcount in 2025. Other unicorns like ElevenLabs and AlphaSense have also expanded their presence in India by opening research centres.
