{"id":3189,"date":"2026-01-23T07:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T07:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.matsio.com\/matsio\/aib-backup\/?p=3189"},"modified":"2026-01-28T06:48:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T06:48:47","slug":"aiboomi-one-where-indias-ai-native-founders-ideate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.matsio.com\/matsio\/aib-backup\/aiboomi-one-where-indias-ai-native-founders-ideate\/","title":{"rendered":"AIBoomi ONE: Where India\u2019s AI-native founders ideate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In early December, while the rest of the world was easing into holiday mode, we flipped the script. We were heads-down, writing the first lines of code for India\u2019s AI ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hosted AIBoomi ONE<\/a>. Our first curated gathering exclusively for the AI-native founder. For years, we\u2019ve been championing SaaS founders and their quest to build a product nation. But the playbook is changing. We\u2019re seeing a new cohort emerging. One that doesn\u2019t simply add AI features to existing solutions but instead imagines comprehensive systems with an AI core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been some panic in the air that SaaS is dead. That you need only AI. But AIBoomi ONE pushed back on that narrative. We have always felt that the future is not a choice between SaaS and AI. It\u2019s SaaS evolving deeply and creatively with AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a clear distinction between the origin stories of SaaSBoomi and AIBoomi.

In 2019, when we hosted our first event, the inaugural SaaSBoomi Annual, we were working with a mature ecosystem. Founders had scaled, finessed their playbooks, and learnt lessons the hard way. Our role as champions was to be the bridge between these scaled founders and newer, first-time entrepreneurs with stars in their eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, we\u2019re on the ground floor of the AI movement. Everyone is exploring, navigating, and drawing up roadmaps in parallel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We needed someone who has been there and done it, which is why we invited Nandan Nilekani to inspire and guide the founders.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany paths exist. All of them can work or fail.\u201d No one has all the answers yet, and that\u2019s exactly the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our work as a community, then, is simple. With SaaS, India came fashionably late to the game. Given the pace of AI\u2019s advancement, it is prudent to avoid delays. We need to move fast, move early, and move as ONE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new kind of founder, a new kind of event<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We decided to keep it small. Single day, over 340 people, including speakers and volunteers, and no parallel tracks. This was by design. We had been speaking to AI founders for the past few months, and they told us what they needed was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. A focused event. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Spotlight on the technical aspects.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Deeper conversations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    At this early stage, rather than another networking session, they want information they cannot get anywhere else delivered efficiently, with real opportunities to engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In a way, AIBoomi ONE served as a collective reality check. An occasion for India\u2019s AI-native founders to realise: You\u2019re not alone. Others are figuring this out too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Three words defined that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n