Story of Yellow.ai: Founder and CEO - Raghu Ravinutala
Story of Yellow.ai:
In 2015, three visionaries Raghu Ravinutala, Jaya Kishore
Reddy, and Rashid Khan—came together in Bangalore with a dream to transform how
customers interact with businesses. Raghu and Jaya left their stable corporate
jobs, and soon after, Rashid joined them through a chance meeting at a
hackathon. With a shared passion for artificial intelligence, they laid the
foundation of a company that would soon be called Yellow Messenger, later
rebranded as Yellow.ai. By January 2016, the startup had already attracted
50,000 customers, a remarkable feat for a company just taking its first steps.
From Hackathon to Microsoft Accelerator
The same year, Yellow Messenger created its first voice and
chat automation model for enterprises. Eager to scale, the founders joined
Microsoft’s accelerator program and SAP’s Startup Studio, where they gained
mentorship, resources, and strategic support. This milestone marked the
beginning of a journey to build one of the world’s most powerful conversational
AI platforms.
Expanding Horizons with Enterprise Adoption
Over the next few years, Yellow Messenger began gaining
traction with enterprises that wanted smarter customer service solutions. In
January 2019, the company announced a major collaboration with Microsoft,
integrating Azure AI Speech Services and natural language processing to power
more natural and efficient conversations. With early clients like Flipkart,
Sony, and Honda, Yellow Messenger positioned itself as a pioneer in
conversational AI platforms designed for large-scale use.
Funding the Future
By 2019, investors saw the tremendous potential of Yellow
Messenger. The company raised $4 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed
Venture Partners, with angel investments from entrepreneurs like Phanindra Sama
of RedBus and Kunal Bahl of Snapdeal. A year later, in 2020, they secured $20
million in a Series B round. That momentum grew in 2021 when Yellow Messenger
closed a $78 million Series C funding round with WestBridge Capital, Salesforce
Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and Lightspeed. This infusion brought total
funding to over $102 million, fueling global expansion.
Rising to the COVID-19 Challenge
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yellow Messenger took on a
vital role in supporting governments, NGOs, and hospitals. They launched
“Yellow Messenger Care,” an omnichannel chatbot system designed to help with
vaccination drives and crisis management. These AI-driven tools enabled
organizations to provide quick and reliable information during one of the most
challenging times in modern history. Their work demonstrated not only
technological expertise but also a deep sense of responsibility toward society.
A New Identity as Yellow.ai
In June 2021, the company underwent a major rebranding and
became Yellow.ai. This new name symbolized its evolution from a startup
messenger service to a full-fledged enterprise AI platform. At the same time,
the company launched DynamicNLP, an innovation that removed the need for
labor-intensive natural language processing training. It allowed businesses to
deploy AI chatbots faster, with greater precision and adaptability.
Launching the Dynamic Automation Platform
Yellow.ai continued to innovate, unveiling the Dynamic
Automation Platform (DAP) in 2023. Designed to personalize customer engagement,
DAP worked seamlessly across 135+ languages and 35+ communication channels
including voice, chat, and social media. That same year, Yellow.ai also
introduced its proprietary generative AI platform called YellowG, which
automated enterprise workflows and powered 120 AI-driven business bots. With
these launches, the company reinforced its position as a leader in next-generation
AI automation.
Building Trust with Global Enterprises
Over time, Yellow.ai expanded its client base to include
major global brands such as Volkswagen, Domino’s, HDFC Bank, Indigo Airlines,
and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. With 150+ out-of-the-box integrations for
platforms like Salesforce and Zendesk, it enabled enterprises to quickly adopt
AI without disrupting existing systems. From helping Pelago address travel
queries to powering instant responses at Coda, Yellow.ai became synonymous with
high-impact automation.
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Recognition and Awards
The company’s groundbreaking work did not go unnoticed. In
2021, Yellow.ai won the Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leadership
Award. The following year, Entrepreneur magazine recognized it as the Best AI
Startup of the Year, while the MarTech Leadership Summit named it Best
Conversational Bot Tool. Financial Express praised it for the Best Use of
Conversational AI. In 2023, Deloitte ranked Yellow.ai among North America’s
fastest-growing technology firms, and CEO Raghu Ravinutala was celebrated as
one of the Top 50 SaaS CEOs by The Software Report.
The People Driving Innovation
Behind this global success are the co-founders and their
team of experts who continuously refine the platform. Raghu Ravinutala, who
holds a degree in Electronics and Communications from NIT Warangal and later
attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, leads as CEO. His vision is
clear: to make AI conversations as natural and seamless as human ones.
Co-founders Jaya Kishore and Rashid Khan complement his leadership with
technological depth and creative problem-solving.
The Power of Multi-LLM Architecture
Yellow.ai’s strength lies in its multi-LLM (large language
model) architecture, which allows enterprises to choose the right model for
different tasks without being tied to a single vendor. Processing billions of
conversations annually, their platform learns continuously, delivering smarter
and more context-aware responses. This flexibility ensures that businesses
remain ahead in a rapidly evolving AI landscape while maintaining robust
privacy and compliance standards.
A Future Fueled by Conversation
Today, headquartered in San Mateo with operations across the
globe, Yellow.ai stands as a pioneer in the age of agentic AI. Trusted by over
1,300 global brands, the company is no longer just about chatbots but about
creating human-like AI agents that think, act, and resolve at
scale. With exponential search growth of over 1,400% in five years and nearly
900,000 monthly visitors exploring its offerings, Yellow.ai has grown from a
college hackathon idea into one of the most powerful players in customer and
employee experience automation.
Timeline of Yellow.ai
- 2015 –
Founders meet and begin building Yellow Messenger in Bangalore.
- 2016 –
Company officially launched; joins Microsoft Accelerator and SAP Startup
Studio.
- 2017–2019 –
Enterprise adoption expands; collaboration with Microsoft strengthens.
- 2019 –
Raises $4M in Series A funding.
- 2020 –
Raises $20M in Series B; launches COVID-19 chatbots for crisis support.
- 2021 –
Rebrands as Yellow.ai; raises $78M in Series C; launches DynamicNLP.
- 2022 –
Expands partnerships with enterprises; recognitions and awards grow.
- 2023 –
Launches Dynamic Automation Platform (DAP) and YellowG; powers 120+ AI
bots.
- 2025 –
Recognized as one of the fastest-growing AI startups globally, powering
conversations at scale for 1,300+ enterprises.
