Just months after its last funding round, an Indian AI startup is back with a much bigger cheque.
Emergent, a startup building an AI-driven “vibe-coding” platform, has raised $70 million in a Series B round less than four months after closing its Series A. The pace of fundraising underlines the intense investor appetite for AI startups that promise to reshape how software is built.
The round was jointly led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 and Khosla Ventures. It values Emergent at $300 million post-money, according to sources familiar with the deal who spoke to TechCrunch.
Prosus, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Together, and Y Combinator also participated. With this round, Emergent has raised $100 million within seven months of its launch.
Strong revenue claims fuel investor interest
The funding comes as Emergent reports rapid commercial traction. The startup claims $50 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5 million users across over 190 countries. It says it is targeting more than $100 million in ARR by April 2026.
Such numbers, if sustained, place Emergent among the fastest-scaling AI software companies globally. Investors have increasingly prioritised revenue signals over pure user growth as competition in generative AI intensifies.
According to TechCrunch, Emergent’s growth was a key driver behind the speed and size of the Series B round.
What Emergent actually does
Emergent operates in the fast-growing category known as vibe-coding. These platforms use AI agents to help users design, build, test, and deploy full-stack web and mobile applications.
The goal is to let entrepreneurs and small businesses launch products without hiring large engineering teams or writing extensive code themselves.
“We continue to see massive demand across our top geographies — the U.S., Europe and India — and we’ll continue to expand deeper into these markets,” founder Mukund Jha told TechCrunch. He added that Emergent’s recently launched mobile app-building service is seeing strong adoption.
Global footprint, Indian core
While Emergent is headquartered in San Francisco, most of its workforce is based in India. Around 70 of its 75 employees work from Bengaluru.
The company is hiring aggressively across roles in both the United States and India, Jha said.
This structure reflects a broader trend in global tech, where startups blend US-based fundraising and go-to-market strategies with India-led engineering and product development.
A crowded but fast-growing market
Emergent competes with platforms such as Lovable, Cursor, and Replit. These companies have grown rapidly as AI-assisted coding tools reduce the need for traditional programming skills.
The rise of these platforms has attracted significant venture capital over the past two years. Investors are betting that AI will fundamentally change software creation, much like cloud computing did in the previous decade.
Accel-backed Rocket, another India-founded AI coding startup, raised a $15 million seed round last year with participation from Together Fund and Salesforce Ventures, according to public disclosures.
Why this deal matters for India and SoftBank
The Emergent investment is also notable for SoftBank. The deal marks the firm’s return to investing in India after nearly four years. Its last major India-focused investment was in commerce startup ElasticRun.
SoftBank’s renewed interest signals growing confidence in Indian-founded AI startups that target global markets.
Emergent said the new funding will be used to expand its team, accelerate product development, and deepen its presence in key regions.
As investors search for the next breakout AI business, Emergent’s rapid rise shows how quickly capital is flowing to startups that combine AI, revenue growth, and global ambition.
