Indian-origin founders of San Francisco-based AI startup Giga, Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep, faced a barrage of racist trolling after announcing their $61 million fundraise.
The IIT Kharagpur grads and Forbes 30 Under 30 alums were mocked for their looks, accents, and their product’s link to customer service—prompting swift pushback from supporters who called out the hate.
As the duo released a video explaining how Giga’s voice AI operates in live business environments, comments targeting their appearance and Indian accents quickly surfaced online. One viral comment read, “If you raise $61M maybe hire attractive people for the demo,” while others mocked their English and dismissed their innovation as “another call center tech.”
Supporters quickly came to their defense. “When people can’t compete in brilliance, they attack appearance,” one user wrote. Another added, “Watch them become millionaires while your groyper ass slaves away for a $12/hour job.”
Founded in 2023, Giga builds AI systems that can engage in simultaneous speech and chat, operate in multiple languages, and integrate with large enterprises. It is already working with DoorDash and plans to expand into Fortune 100 companies using the new funding.
The startup is a product of grit and high-stakes personal choices. According to a LinkedIn post by Varun, both founders turned down lucrative opportunities—Esha declined a ₹1.25 crore job offer from an Indian HFT firm, while Varun walked away from a $525,000 quant trader role and a Stanford PhD offer to build Giga.
Some trolls attempted to undercut their achievements with backhanded comments, calling the founders “autistic” and mocking their accents. Others tried satire, suggesting their innovation would “collapse the Indian economy.”