The archive · AI & Models · Strategic decision · 2025–2026
Nava bets Asia's AI boom needs a full-stack GPU neocloud: $9.6M seed, $22M Series A
Founded 2025 by ex-OYO, McKinsey and Jio operators, Nava raised $31.6M to build an AI-native GPU cloud for Asia before launching.
Nava
What the business is
A full-stack neocloud for AI workloads: AI-optimised data centres, high-performance GPU compute, orchestration and inferencing layers, plus developer tools, offered as GPU-as-a-service and bare-metal compute.
Starting capital：$31.6M total — a $9.6M seed led by RTP Global (July 2025) and a $22M Series A led by Greenoaks (April 2026).
How it started
In 2025, Abhinav Sinha (a senior OYO executive), ex-McKinsey partner Vamshidhar Reddy and ex-Jio cloud VP Abhijeet Singh founded the company, first as Kluisz.ai, betting that enterprises adopting AI would hit a wall of GPU scarcity and legacy cloud infrastructure. A $9.6M seed led by RTP Global in July 2025 — among the largest AI seed rounds in India at the time — funded the software-first start.
What happened
In April 2026 Nava raised a $22M Series A led by Greenoaks, with RTP Global and Unicorn India Ventures participating, rebranded from Kluisz to Nava and set up a Singapore regional headquarters. The capital is earmarked for data-centre design, GPU engineering and go-to-market talent; at the time of the raise the startup was in advanced discussions to roll out GPU-based AI infrastructure offerings, targeting enterprises building AI models and applications.
How it ended up
Still in the building stage: as of April 2026 Nava had not yet commercially launched its GPU infrastructure, with the Series A funding going into platform development and regional expansion; total funding stands at $31.6M across two institutional rounds.
Background
Nava (formerly Kluisz.ai) is an AI infrastructure startup founded in 2025 by Abhinav Sinha, a senior executive at OYO, ex-McKinsey partner Vamshidhar Reddy and Abhijeet Singh, ex-VP of cloud at Jio. Its bet: Asia's enterprises would hit a wall of GPU scarcity and legacy cloud infrastructure as they adopted AI, and the answer is an AI-native, vertically integrated 'neocloud' rather than renting generic hyperscaler capacity.
The company started software-first, building AI workload orchestration, then moved to own the full stack — AI-optimised data centres, high-performance GPU compute, orchestration and inferencing layers and developer tools — offered as GPU-as-a-service and bare-metal compute. A $9.6M seed led by RTP Global in July 2025 was among the largest AI seed rounds in India at the time.
In April 2026 Nava raised a $22M Series A led by Greenoaks (with RTP Global and Unicorn India Ventures), rebranded to Nava and opened a Singapore regional HQ. As of that raise it was still in advanced discussions to roll out its GPU infrastructure, making the case an unproven bet on Asia's AI data-centre gap, with over $200B of announced Indian AI data-centre investment in the background.
What has to be true
- Timing bet on an urgent bottleneck: AI adoption outpacing AI-ready data-centre capacity in India and Asia.
- Vertical integration as differentiation: owning data centres, GPUs and software avoids competing purely on markups over rented capacity.
- Founder pedigree (OYO, McKinsey, Jio) plus a record seed round bought credibility and capital before product launch.
- A Singapore HQ targeted APAC enterprises and talent pools beyond India.
What can be applied
When the scarce asset is AI-ready compute, owning the full stack beats reselling someone else's GPUs; the risk is capital-heavy infrastructure slow to prove before revenue.
Aftermath
As of April 2026 Nava had raised $31.6M total, rebranded and staffed up for data-centre design, GPU engineering and go-to-market, and was in advanced discussions to launch GPU-based AI infrastructure. It had not yet commercially deployed its platform, so the full-stack neocloud bet remained unproven; no later verified public reporting on launch or revenue exists in the sources reviewed.
Sources
- Former OYO Executive's Startup Nava Raises $22 Mn To Build Neocloud Platform
- Greenoaks Leads USD 22 Mn Investment in AI Infrastructure Firm Nava
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