upliance.ai, the Indian consumer AI startup that uses generative AI to turn recipes into step-by-step instructions for its countertop cooking assistant, is in advanced talks to raise between $3 million and $4 million (roughly ₹28 crore to ₹37 crore) in a Series A round, according to a report by Inc42 on 31 October 2026 that cited people familiar with the discussions.

The round is expected to close by January 2027. A new investor is likely to join the cap table, while existing backers, including Khosla Ventures, are expected to put in more money. The company had not commented publicly on the report at the time of writing.

Where the money is expected to go

According to the report, the fresh capital would be used to strengthen research and development, improve the product’s interface and take the brand into international markets. The raise would be the startup’s first priced round since February 2024, when it picked up ₹34 crore in a seed round led by Khosla Ventures at a valuation of about ₹143 crore (around $15 million).

Generative AI in the kitchen

Founded in 2021 by Mahek Mody, a former Ather Energy executive, and Mohit Sharma, who previously worked at Chaayos, upliance.ai sells the upliance 2.0+ cooking assistant and, since July, a 12-litre smart air fryer oven. What sets the product apart is the software layer: the company applies generative AI to translate recipes, including cooking videos on YouTube, into a sequence of steps that the appliance can actually execute, from chopping ingredients to adjusting heat and cooking order.

Users can also browse recipes in the company’s app and leave a voice note if something goes wrong mid-cook. The team reviews those queries along with ratings and feedback to refine recipes over time, creating a loop of real-world usage data that feeds back into the product.

A growing, crowded market

The funding talks come as India’s smart kitchen appliance category heats up. MarkNtel Advisors estimates the market at $800 million in 2026 and expects it to reach $2.99 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of about 25 percent, with cooking appliances making up nearly half of the segment this year.

upliance.ai is not alone. Wonderchef entered automated cooking in April 2024 with its Chef Magic kitchen robot, which comes with more than 600 preloaded recipes, and Philips launched its OneChef multi-cooker in India in March 2026.

Why it matters

Much of India’s AI investment conversation centres on foundation models, GPUs and enterprise agents. upliance.ai is a reminder that some of the most tangible uses of generative AI are showing up in everyday consumer hardware, where a language model’s real job is to turn unstructured content such as a recipe video into precise machine instructions. Whether investors keep backing that model will depend on how well such devices hold up on cost, reliability and repeat use in Indian homes, and on whether the brand can compete as larger appliance makers add similar AI features.

Source: Inc42 (31 October 2026). Funding details are based on people familiar with the talks and have not been confirmed by the company.

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