US-based Operant AI enters India to tap rising AI security demand

Operant AI founders Ashley Roof, Priyanka Tembey, Vrajesh Bhavsar.

US-based cybersecurity startup Operant AI has announced its entry into India, aiming to address the growing security concerns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Operant AI co-founder Vrajesh Bhavsar told Moneycontrol that the expansion is driven by the increasing need for security solutions that can keep up with the rapid pace of AI development.

“There’s so much new tech coming so fast that people are just running with it without actually figuring out what is secure, what is trustworthy, and how to be responsible about these things,” he said. “Eventually, as we’ve seen through many cycles before if you just run into some technology blindly, it comes back to bite you later.”

He added that India's healthcare and financial sectors would benefit the most from Operant’s products.

The company has not yet disclosed details about potential partnerships or initial clients in India but said it is in discussions with multiple organisations. “We know that India is going to be a key player in the global AI landscape, and security has to be part of that conversation from day one,” Bhavsar said.

The company, founded in 2021 by Bhavsar, Priyanka Tembey and Ashley Roof, specialises in securing AI-driven software through real-time protection mechanisms.

As India witnesses a surge in AI adoption across industries, Operant AI sees an opportunity to provide enterprises with tools to safeguard their AI systems from evolving security threats.

India is emerging as a hub for AI innovation, with startups, enterprises, and even the government investing in AI-led automation and analytics. But as more organizations integrate AI into their systems, they also expose themselves to new kinds of cyber threats.

Unlike traditional software, AI models can be manipulated in ways that are not always detected by conventional security measures.

“The risks are very different from what companies are used to dealing with. It’s not just about keeping hackers out; it’s about ensuring that AI models don’t get poisoned, that data pipelines aren’t compromised, and that decisions made by AI systems can be trusted,” Bhavsar said.

Operant AI claims to offer a security solution that can protect AI applications within minutes of deployment.

According to Bhavsar, the company’s approach focuses on real-time discovery, detection, and defense, covering vulnerabilities specific to AI systems.

“The idea is to have security that doesn’t slow innovation down,” he said. “Right now, security is often an afterthought in AI development but that approach doesn’t work anymore. You can’t fix problems after the fact because AI models evolve continuously, and threats evolve with them.”

In 2024, the firm raised $10 million in a Series A funding round co-led by SineWave Ventures and Felicis, with participation from Alumni Ventures, Massive, Calm Ventures, Gaingels, alongside angel investors. This investment took Operant AI’s total funding to $13.5 million

With its India entry, Operant will compete with cybersecurity firms that are beginning to develop AI-focused security solutions.