Cars24 launches AI lab, commits $20 million to AI, early-stage startups

Cars24 launches AI lab, commits $20 million to AI, early-stage startups



SoftBank-backed Cars24 has launched Cars24 Labs, an initiative focussed on building artificial intelligence (AI) products and backing early-stage founders, with a commitment of $20 million.

The Gurugram-based used car platform has partnered with OpenAI, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and ElevenLabs for this initiative. The idea behind it is to give founders access to capital, mentorship, infrastructure, and AI tools as they build new products.

The company said that it has incorporated AI in its internal operations, from building products to making decisions and serving customers. AI Labs is an attempt to take that experience outside and support others.

The initiative will work across three areas: building AI-native products and contributing to open-source projects, partnering with AI companies to speed up adoption, and investing in startups working on what it calls “category-defining” AI businesses.

Cars24 Labs will also organise hackathons, builder programmes, and community initiatives.

“Every major technology shift creates a handful of companies that go on to define the future. We believe AI is the biggest shift of our generation,” said Vikram Chopra, founder and CEO, Cars24. He added that the lab is the company’s way of helping founders “build things that seem impossible today but inevitable tomorrow.”