National, 30 July, 2025: Vahan.ai, India’s leading AI-powered recruitment platform for blue-collar workers, has announced a strategic investment from LemmaTree, an investment firm founded by Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in Singapore. Alongside this transaction, Vahan.ai has also acquired L.earn, the digital learning and upskilling tech platform of GoodWorker, which was backed by Lemmatree.

Together, this investment and acquisition mark a significant milestone in Vahan.ai’s mission—not just to connect millions of Indians to job opportunities, but to empower them with the skills and career advancement they need to thrive.

This announcement comes amid the rapid evolution of India’s blue-collar workforce, with blue-collar jobs set to drive 70% of the country’s new employment growth by 2030, as highlighted in a recent report. This growing segment is also seeing wage increases, with blue-collar jobs growing at a rate of 5.7% annually. As this critical workforce expands, there is an urgent need for a scalable, intelligent, and inclusive job infrastructure to support it. Meanwhile, India’s gig economy, a key driver in this transformation, is projected to grow at a 17% CAGR and reach a gross volume of $455 billion by the end of the decade, potentially creating up to 90 million jobs. These trends emphasise the need for technology-driven platforms to efficiently connect millions of blue-collar and gig workers to reliable, long-term livelihoods.

To date, Vahan.ai has placed over 1 million workers across 920+ cities and currently facilitates approximately 40,000 job placements per month, working with employers such as Zepto, Swiggy, Blinkit, and Zomato. The new investment will primarily be deployed to enhance Vahan.ai’s proprietary tech stack—including the development of advanced AI capabilities tailored for large-scale, multilingual recruitment. The platform plans to expand support to eight additional Indian languages, enabling deeper access to job seekers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. Vahan also aims to enter new high-growth sectors while accelerating its footprint across India and select international markets such as Southeast Asia and the MENA region.

As the blue-collar workforce expands, there is a pressing need for an intelligent and inclusive job infrastructure to support them. The acquisition of L.earn adds a powerful skilling layer to Vahan.ai’s offering. L.earn provides mobile-first, vernacular content tailored for gig and frontline workers in sectors like logistics, manufacturing, and retail. By embedding modular skilling journeys directly into the job-seeking process, Vahan.ai will empower workers to enhance employability, access better-paying roles, and build long-term careers. This approach not only benefits job seekers but also helps employers bridge the growing demand for skilled labour—creating a win-win ecosystem.

Commenting on the development, Madhav Krishna, CEO and Founder, Vahan.ai, said, “This partnership accelerates Vahan.ai’s ambition to build the most advanced AI-led infrastructure for employment in India’s informal sector. With LemmaTree’s backing and the integration of L.earn, we’re reimagining how workers access livelihoods - through voice-led interfaces, multilingual support, and embedded skills that adapt to each user’s context. The recruitment industry in India is undergoing a revolution, but for that growth to be sustainable and equitable, workers need both access and advancement. The focus now is on deepening personalisation, scaling across new industries, and ensuring that every interaction on our platform moves a worker closer to long-term economic mobility. We’re building not just a hiring engine, but a career ecosystem for Bharat.”

Speaking about this investment, Glenn Gore, CEO, LemmaTree, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with Vahan.ai as they redefine how businesses connect with frontline workers across India and beyond. Vahan’s innovative platform and passionate team are unlocking new opportunities for millions, driving both economic empowerment and operational efficiency. We look forward to supporting Vahan in its journey to create a more inclusive and dynamic workforce ecosystem.”

Vahan.ai’s cutting-edge AI-driven technology is transforming the way India’s blue-collar workforce accesses employment opportunities, bridging gaps in digital literacy, language barriers, and infrastructure. At its core is a voice-based AI recruiter powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o, capable of conducting human-like conversations with job seekers in English and Hindi over a simple phone call. This AI layer streamlines the hiring journey, from job discovery and application to interview scheduling, cutting through traditional barriers like digital literacy, language, and infrastructure. Vahan.ai’s system handles thousands of simultaneous interactions daily, automating repetitive tasks while maintaining empathy and contextual accuracy. With plans to expand to eight additional Indian languages, the platform is designed to meet users where they are, enabling even first-time internet users to access meaningful employment opportunities simply by speaking.