·  LemmaTree, a Temasek-founded firm, invests in Vahan.ai to strengthen its AI-driven hiring platform.

·  Vahan.ai acquires GoodWorker’s L.earn to integrate vernacular, mobile-first upskilling into recruitment.

·  The Bengaluru startup targets 100,000 monthly placements and expansion into Tier 2/3 cities and Southeast Asia.

Bengaluru-based HR technology startup Vahan.ai has revealed a strategic investment from LemmaTree, a Singapore-headquartered investment company established by Temasek. Under a larger two-pronged collaboration, Vahan.ai has also acquired L.earn, the digital skilling platform initially created by GoodWorker another LemmaTree-backed project.

This step represents a major step forward for Vahan.ai, enabling the firm to bolster its AI-powered hiring engine while inserting vernacular, mobile-first skilling content directly within its recruitment workflow. By integrating skilling and placement into one frictionless journey, the firm is trying to enhance job access and preparedness for India's huge blue-collar workforce.

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Founded by Madhav Krishna, Vahan.ai is a Y Combinator alumni which initially began with training in skills and later shifted its focus to recruitment in 2019. Now, it brings gig and blue-collar workers in touch with employers across industries such as logistics, delivery, retail, and now warehousing and manufacturing.

The firm currently arranges 40,000 monthly job placements across 920+ Indian cities, with more than 1 million placements made. Its key hiring partners are Zepto, Swiggy, Blinkit, and Zomato. Tracxn states Vahan.ai posted a revenue of Rs 26.9 crore ($3.25 million) in FY24.

This new infusion comes after Vahan.ai raised $10 million Series B funding in 2023 led by Khosla Ventures, the fund founded by billionaire investor Vinod Khosla.

Talking to Fortune India, Krishna indicated that the fresh funding will go towards developing the platform's multilingual AI recruiter that already works in eight languages of India and automating documentation workflows that facilitate job seeker onboarding.

"The AI recruiter can triple productivity," Krishna said. "If one human recruiter places one person per day, AI assists them in placing three and the count will just grow as the tech gets better.

The L.earn acquisition will enable Vahan.ai to incorporate skill-based learning modules into the job search process, making workers eligible for better-paying jobs.

As part of expansion plans, Vahan.ai intends to foray into new verticals such as commercial driving and warehousing, besides enhancing its presence in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The organization also aims to venture into international markets in Southeast Asia and the MENA region based on LemmaTree's strategic presence and alliances in those regions.