Archive · 7 Nov 2025
Giga Founders Face Racist Trolling After Securing $61M Funding
Two friends from India, who studied at a top school called IIT Kharagpur, started a company called Giga that uses smart computer programs (AI) to help businesses with their customer service.
They recently announced they raised $61 million to make their company bigger.
Some people online were very unkind and made fun of how they looked and spoke, making racist comments.
Other people defended them, saying the mean comments came from jealousy and that the founders were very smart and worked hard.
The founders even turned down good jobs to start this company, showing their passion for solving hard problems with AI.
IIT Kharagpur alumni and Giga co-founders Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep announced their AI startup raised $61 million in Series A funding.
The duo faced racist trolling and mockery online regarding their appearance and Indian accents.
Giga's AI agents handle hundreds of thousands of conversations daily and are noted as being faster and cheaper than GPT4 API.
Supporters defended the founders, attributing the negative comments to envy and highlighting the duo's hard work and past sacrifices.
Vummadi and Manideep were recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list (2024) and previously declined lucrative job offers to pursue their startup.
- Who
- Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep, Indian-origin co-founders of AI startup Giga
- What
- Faced racist trolling and mockery regarding their appearance and accents after announcing their startup secured $61 million in Series A funding.
- When
- This week, following the announcement of their $61 million funding.
- Where
- Online, primarily on social media platforms like X.
- Why
- Online trolls targeted them with racist remarks and personal insults, which was met with defense from supporters who attributed the hate to envy and intellectual competition.
Online Trolls
Supporters
Appearance and Demeanor
Online Trolls
Mocked founders' looks, Indian accents, and suggested they hire more attractive people for demos.
Supporters
Defended founders against racist remarks, attributing criticism to envy and an inability to comprehend their intelligence and success.
Value of Startup
Online Trolls
Dismissed the AI product and attempted to undermine achievements with insults.
Supporters
Highlighted the founders' resilience, dedication, and the significance of their AI venture, noting their past sacrifices and hard work.
- Startup Name
- Giga
- Founders
- Varun Vummadi (CEO) and Esha Manideep (CTO)
- Education
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
- Funding Raised
- $61 million (Series A)
- Founded
- 2023
- Product
- AI agents for customer operations; 3X faster, 70% cheaper, and better performing than GPT4 API on specific use cases after fine-tuning.
- Partnerships
- DoorDash
- Accolades
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list (2024)
