ContraVault AI raises $3.1 million from Chiratae, Titan
Bid management firm ContraVault AI has raised $3.1 million in a round led by Chiratae Ventures, with participation from existing backer Titan Capital Winners Fund, as it looks to expand in the US and build more advanced tools for infrastructure companies.
The Bengaluru-based startup plans to use the fresh capital to strengthen its engineering and AI capabilities, including developing computer vision models that can analyse technical drawings and engineering documents used in large infra projects.
Founded in 2024 by Sayan Sen, Isha Juneja, and Tanmay Juneja, ContraVault AI helps infra companies identify, analyse, and bid for government and private-sector projects. Its software uses AI to evaluate tender documents, assess compliance requirements, and assist teams throughout the bidding process.
"Infrastructure is one of the largest industries in the world but still relies heavily on spreadsheets and manual processes. Our vision is to help these companies make better decisions that ultimately help them win more projects," Sen, who’s also the chief executive, told ET.
The startup is targeting a problem that affects infrastructure companies globally. Public procurement accounts for roughly 20-25% of GDP across many economies, the startup said in a statement. A wrong assessment can cost companies hundreds of crores in losses on long-term contracts, it added.
ContraVault's platform attempts to automate much of the bidding process. "When a government agency issues a tender for a highway or bridge project, the software analyses eligibility requirements, identifies risks, compares opportunities against a company's historical projects and assists with bid preparation and submission. Missing even a single mandatory document can result in disqualification," Sen explained.
The company says it has analysed more than a million tenders as part of its training dataset. Rather than relying solely on large general-purpose AI models, ContraVault uses fine-tuned models trained on domain-specific procurement data and annotated tender documents. The system also incorporates customers' historical project data to build organisation-specific knowledge bases.
Sen said the startup already counts three of India's top 10 infrastructure companies among its customers. The company currently serves around 40 clients, most of whom are based in India. It expects overseas markets, particularly the US, to account for about half its business over the next 12-18 months.
Sen said the new funding will be used to develop AI systems capable of understanding engineering drawings, a task that requires computer vision capabilities beyond conventional large language models.
"Every customer asks us when we will be able to help them analyse drawings. Once you move into that layer, it goes far beyond what a traditional LLM can do and requires specialised computer vision systems," Sen explained.
Commenting on the investment, Mandeep Julka of Chiratae Ventures said the firm believes ContraVault is addressing a critical infrastructure challenge through AI-driven bidding intelligence.
The startup plans to continue expanding across infrastructure segments such as construction, power, energy, renewables, defence, and aerospace.
The Bengaluru-based startup plans to use the fresh capital to strengthen its engineering and AI capabilities, including developing computer vision models that can analyse technical drawings and engineering documents used in large infra projects.
Founded in 2024 by Sayan Sen, Isha Juneja, and Tanmay Juneja, ContraVault AI helps infra companies identify, analyse, and bid for government and private-sector projects. Its software uses AI to evaluate tender documents, assess compliance requirements, and assist teams throughout the bidding process.
"Infrastructure is one of the largest industries in the world but still relies heavily on spreadsheets and manual processes. Our vision is to help these companies make better decisions that ultimately help them win more projects," Sen, who’s also the chief executive, told ET.
The startup is targeting a problem that affects infrastructure companies globally. Public procurement accounts for roughly 20-25% of GDP across many economies, the startup said in a statement. A wrong assessment can cost companies hundreds of crores in losses on long-term contracts, it added.
ContraVault's platform attempts to automate much of the bidding process. "When a government agency issues a tender for a highway or bridge project, the software analyses eligibility requirements, identifies risks, compares opportunities against a company's historical projects and assists with bid preparation and submission. Missing even a single mandatory document can result in disqualification," Sen explained.
The company says it has analysed more than a million tenders as part of its training dataset. Rather than relying solely on large general-purpose AI models, ContraVault uses fine-tuned models trained on domain-specific procurement data and annotated tender documents. The system also incorporates customers' historical project data to build organisation-specific knowledge bases.
Sen said the startup already counts three of India's top 10 infrastructure companies among its customers. The company currently serves around 40 clients, most of whom are based in India. It expects overseas markets, particularly the US, to account for about half its business over the next 12-18 months.
Sen said the new funding will be used to develop AI systems capable of understanding engineering drawings, a task that requires computer vision capabilities beyond conventional large language models.
"Every customer asks us when we will be able to help them analyse drawings. Once you move into that layer, it goes far beyond what a traditional LLM can do and requires specialised computer vision systems," Sen explained.
Commenting on the investment, Mandeep Julka of Chiratae Ventures said the firm believes ContraVault is addressing a critical infrastructure challenge through AI-driven bidding intelligence.
The startup plans to continue expanding across infrastructure segments such as construction, power, energy, renewables, defence, and aerospace.
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