? Vahan.ai is the largest blue-collar recruitment platform for the quick commerce industry 

? With India’s blue-collar workers poised to drive 70% of India's new job growth by 2030, Vahan.ai is leveraging Artificial Intelligence to bridge the access gap between employers and blue-coll workers.

Bangalore, 7th February 2024: Vahan.ai, India’s leading AI-powered hiring platform for blue-collar workers, has secured investment from Persol Group, a prominent HR services provider in the Asia-Pacific region based in Tokyo, Japan. This strategic partnership aligns with Persol Group’s foc on expanding its footprint in the Indian market, which is witnessing significant growth in its economy. 

India’s gig economy is at an inflection point, with demand for gig workers surging by 25–30% in 202 primarily driven by the quick commerce sector. According to industry experts, gig hiring in this sector is projected to grow by a staggering 60% in 2025, fueled by the rapid expansion of dark stores, increased investments, and penetration into Tier II and III cities. The Niti Aayog projects that India’s gig workforce, currently at 9–10 million, could reach 23.5 million by 2029–30, showcasing the sector’s immense long-term potential. 

With this investment, Vahan.ai aims to scale its operations, focusing on emerging sectors like manufacturing and retail, and continue enhancing its cutting-edge AI technology to meet the evolving needs of employers and workers alike. Earlier in September 2024, Vahan.ai raised $10 million in its Series B funding round led by Khosla Ventures, along with Y Combinator, US-based VC firm Gaingel 

and Indian tech entrepreneur Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder of Paytm, amongst others. 

Manufacturing, a key pillar of the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, is projected to grow from 15% of India’s GDP to over 25%, adding USD 320 billion in gross value added (GVA). Meanwhile, the retail sector is expected to expand from USD 779 billion in 2019 to over USD 2 trillion by 2032, with e-commerce alone growing at an annual rate of 11.45% to reach USD 91 billion by 2029, and the FMCG sector expected to be worth approximately USD 616 billion by 2027. 

To capitalise on these growth trends, Vahan.ai will also invest in advancing its AI technology. Currently, Vahan’s AI Recruiter conducts interviews in English and Hindi, with plans to support eight major Indian languages and numerous dialects within the next year, making the platform even more accessible and inclusive. 

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Madhav Krishna, CEO and Founder, Vahan.ai stated, “India’s gig economy is on the cusp of a remarkable transformation, with smaller cities and emerging sectors driving a surge in demand for gig workers. Quick commerce alone is expected to double its workforce needs in these regions, creating opportunities for millions of individuals to access jobs and improve their livelihoods. By combining our AI-driven solutions with Persol’s deep expertise in workforce management, we aim to scale our technology, expand into new sectors, and create a more inclusive and efficient employment ecosystem. This collaboration positions us to transform hiring practices and empower both workers and employers as we work together to build Bharat.” 

In 2024, Vahan.ai achieved remarkable milestones, solidifying its position as India’s largest recruitment platform for the quick commerce industry. The platform facilitated 2.6 lakh job placements across 920 cities, with leading companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, Rapido and Uber. Through its AI recruiter, Vahan.ai saved over 20,000 hours of human recruiter effort, significantly improving hiring efficiency for employers. With the current invest 

Vahan.ai plans to expand its reach further and focus on developing technologies that enhance the gig hiring ecosystem in India. 

Shingo Ishida, Partner and Head of APAC Investment at Persol Group said, 

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Vahan.ai, whose innovative technology and advanced business operations, driven by deep market insights, align perfectly with our broader strategy in India. Vahan’s Master Agency Platform is designed to revolutionize talent acquisition and workforce management by leveraging AI-driven solutions. Through this partnership, the PERSOL Group will support the expansion of Vahan’s reach, helping businesses in India access skilled talent more efficiently.” 

As the Indian gig economy continues to grow, investments in innovative platforms like Vahan.ai are key to shaping its future and ensuring inclusive growth across sectors and regions. 

About Vahan.ai: 

Vahan.ai is India's leading AI-powered recruitment platform for blue-collar workers, encompassing the food, grocery, quick-commerce and e-commerce delivery sectors. The platform is at the forefront of connecting businesses with the workforce needed to fuel the growth of India. It has established itself as the market leader in the gig-economy recruitment space, leveraging AI to streamline the hiring process for high-volume blue-collar jobs. It was also named the ‘Technology Pioneer’ by the World Economic Forum in May 2022. 

https://vahan.ai/

About Persol Group:

Under the Group Vision, 'Work and Smile" the PERSOL Group engages in diverse services concerning people and organizations, which include temporary staffing service “Tempstaff,” career improvem service “doda,” IT-outsourcing, and design development. We are also working on the next generation of innovations by integrating human resource services and technologies, offering services such as career improvement service “MIIDAS,” empowering of technology talent and construction support for DX organizations “TECH PLAY,” and a cloud-based mobile POS cashier “POS+.” 

https://www.persol-group.co.jp/en/