BITS Pilani Alumni Raise $52 Million for AI Startup Broccoli AI

AJ Jain and Aditya Ketkar, alumni of BITS Pilani, have raised $52 million in funding for their artificial intelligence startup, Broccoli AI. According to reports based on Fortune, the founders secured $22 million in Series A funding and $30 million in Series B funding nine months apart, with both rounds led by Khosla Ventures alongside Y Combinator and Operator Partners. The startup is reportedly valued at $300 million.

Journey to Silicon Valley

Jain and Ketkar met at BITS Pilani in 2016 and relocated to San Francisco in January 2024 after previously working on ventures including a campus delivery app, an interview preparation boot camp, and an electric vehicle software startup. Before building their product, they visited approximately 140 contractors' offices in Northern California to identify operational challenges.

Partnership With Armstrong Plumbing

A turning point occurred when they met Marcelle Flowers, owner of Armstrong Plumbing in Sacramento. Flowers initially mistook them for students selling chocolates. After discussing her business challenges—such as an answering service costing $5,000 monthly with low accuracy—the founders developed an automated reminder system and subsequently built tools to handle incoming customer calls. Flowers spent months working with the founders, became their first customer, and later joined Broccoli AI as chief operating officer.

Technology and Operations

• Services: Broccoli AI develops AI agents to answer customer calls, schedule appointments, follow up on estimates, and manage service memberships.
• Industries: The technology is used in plumbing, electrical, roofing, pool care, and garage door services.
• Scale: According to Venture Intelligence and company figures, the technology has reportedly handled over 10 million customer interactions and booked 2.5 million appointments.
• Impact: The founders state the system handles routine tasks while redirecting emergencies to human staff, aiming to support small businesses rather than replace personnel.

Readers can verify the original announcement through coverage in publications like Fortune or by visiting official company disclosures and filings.