Company NewsThe Story of the Most Patient Success Story in SaaS history. How a Decade-long Contrarian Bet by Accel’s Shekhar Kirani Turned a ‘Lost Cause’ into the world’s Fastest-Growing Productivity Tool.
Presentations.AI, the world’s first AI-driven presentation platform, today announced its official launch alongside a $3 million seed funding round led by Accel Partners. The company, which launched its public beta in 2023, has rapidly become the fastest-growing productivity app in history, amassing 1 million users in 84 days with zero marketing spend and has since gone on to amass millions of users and millions of dollars in profit, not just revenue.
BANGALORE, India – January 30, 2025 – Presentations.AI, the AI-powered platform reinventing business communication, today announced it has emerged from beta and has announced that it has raised a total of $3 million in seed funding. The round marks the culmination of a 10-year partnership between Accel and the startup, defying Silicon Valley’s “fail fast” dogma to deliver what industry analysts call “the most patient success story in SaaS history.”
The round was led by Accel Partners and includes a remarkable constellation of India's most successful founders and operators. The company emerged from stealth in early 2023 to become the fastest-growing productivity tool in history, acquiring 1 million users in just 84 days—without spending a dollar on marketing.
The funding represents a unique show of faith from India's technology ecosystem, with participation from founders of multiple unicorns and category-defining startups. Notable angels include Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CRED's Kunal Shah, redBus founder Phanindra Sama, Freshworks founder Girish Mathrubhootham, Chargebee’s Krish Subramanian & Rajaraman Santhanam, [24]7.ai’s Shanmugam Nagarajan, Capillary's Aneesh Reddy, Kissflow's Suresh Sambandam, and LetsVenture's Shanti Mohan, among others.
"This isn’t about being contrarian—it’s about seeing grit as a moat. While others chased quick flips, Shekhar bet on founders who treated startups as marathons, not sprints. This isn't just capital—it's a validation from pioneers who've built global companies from India," said Pallav Nadhani, Co-founder at Presentations.AI, "Their support reinforces our belief that the next generation of world-class SaaS companies will emerge from Indian entrepreneurs solving universal problems."
Every year, businesses waste 55 billion hours crafting presentations—a $1.2 trillion drain on the global economy. "Presentations today aren't just time-consuming; they're a creativity black hole," said Ravi Kasthuri, Co-founder and CTO at Presentations.AI. "While others iterate on or against PowerPoint, we've built a time machine that transforms raw ideas into compelling narratives in minutes, not days."
In 2014, when "AI" meant Clippy's depressed cousin, Accel's Shekhar Kirani made a contrarian bet. Over the next decade, while other startups chased quick wins, Kirani championed the team through:
The investment marks a milestone in India's SaaS journey—from service provider to category creator. A decade ago, Indian startups were known for implementation. Today, they're building ground-breaking original AI technology that global enterprises depend on. The next wave of Indian SaaS won't just compete with global players—it will redefine categories entirely. Presentations.AI shows how deep technical expertise combined with patience can create truly differentiated products.
Avinash Raghava, Founding Volunteer & CEO, SaaSBoomi, highlighted the company’s achievements amidst the ecosystem evolution: "India's technology ecosystem has evolved from being services-led to building deep-tech products for the world. Presentations.AI exemplifies this transformation—they've spent years developing AI capabilities that global enterprises now can't work without. What's remarkable isn't just the technology, but how they're democratizing high-quality business communication. This is exactly the kind of innovation that will establish India as a product nation, not just a technology nation. A decade ago, this level of ecosystem support was unthinkable. Today, we're seeing India's most successful founders pay it forward, creating a flywheel effect that will accelerate the next generation of global companies from India."
With fresh capital, Presentations.AI will launch the world’s first AI presentation agent and accelerate its mission to 1 billion users.
"This is more than funding—it's rocket fuel for our war on 'slide debt,'" said Saravanan Govindraj, Co-founder and Head of Development. "We're attacking the root cause: the paralysis of the blank screen. Our vision is a world where everyone, from interns to CEOs, can turn thoughts into impact with confidence."
In an era of AI hype cycles, Presentations.AI proves that transformative tools aren’t built in sprints—they’re forged in decade-long crucibles. As Accel’s bet pays off, it offers a blueprint: Sometimes, the best way to predict the future is to invent it slowly.
Presentations.AI is the world's leading AI-powered presentation platform, enabling users to effortlessly create stunning, professional-quality slides faster than ever before. To learn more, visit www.presentations.ai
Founder’s personal story behind funding: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-shekhar-kirani-accel-partners-good-vc-thats-thing-raghavendra-tuthe
Sumanth Raghavendra,
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