Emergent and Raj Shamani roll out Rs 1 crore AI challenge for Indian businesses

New Delhi: Emergent partnered with entrepreneur and content creator Raj Shamani to launch a nationwide challenge aimed at helping Indian businesses become AI-native by building software tailored to their own operations. The initiative invites business owners, founders, and operators across India to identify a real problem within their business, build a software solution using Emergent, deploy it in day-to-day operations, and demonstrate its impact. The top three business transformations will share a total prize pool of Rs 1 Crore from Shamani and Emergent. The challenge is built on a growing belief that India's next wave of business growth will come not only from startups, but from existing businesses adopting software and AI to improve how they operate. Manufacturers, traders, logistics companies, supply-chain operators, D2C brands, and family-run enterprises often rely on fragmented systems and manual processes because building custom software has traditionally been expensive, time-consuming, and dependent on technical expertise. Through Emergent, business owners can build full-stack software applications using natural language, allowing them to create tools for inventory management, lead tracking, workflow automation, order management, and operational visibility without conventional software development cycles. The Initiative also reflects a broader shift in how entrepreneurs and creators are influencing the adoption of emerging technologies. Rather than simply introducing audiences to AI tools, the campaign encourages business owners to build and deploy solutions within their own operations, creating practical examples of how AI can be applied to solve real business challenges. Mukund Jha, Co-Founder and CEO of Emergent, said, “Most businesses don't need more software. They need software that reflects how their business actually works. Until now, building that has required time, money, and technical resources that many businesses simply don't have. AI changes that. We want to show that a manufacturer, trader, logistics operator, or founder can now build tools around their own business and start seeing results in days, not months.” As part of the campaign, Shamani also built real software using AI for his own business using Emergent, documenting the process and demonstrating to Indian business owners that building software is no longer limited to developers or large companies. Raj Shamani said, “Every business owner knows there are bottlenecks inside the business that slow growth. For years, solving them meant hiring developers, agencies or technical teams. Today, AI changes that equation. If you understand the problem clearly enough, you can start building a solution yourself. This challenge is about showing business owners what's possible when they stop waiting and start building.” Indian business owners who achieve the most significant operational impact through AI and software will compete for a total prize pool of Rs 1 Crore. Beyond the prize, the initiative aims to inspire business leaders across the country to embrace an AI-native future.