Bengaluru-based Supernova, which runs an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app for learning spoken English, is in talks to raise $15–20 million, with Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India and Verlinvest in discussions to invest, according to two people aware of the matter.
The startup has about $15 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), one of the people said. ARR is an estimate of the revenue a subscription business would generate over a year at its current pace.
“Some existing investors are also expected to participate in the round on a pro-rata basis,” one of the people said.
Supernova has raised about $4.67 million across two rounds, including a Series A round in March 2024, according to startup data platform Tracxn. Its existing investors include Lumikai, All In Capital and Kae Capital.
Emails and messages sent to Vertex Ventures and Verlinvest, as well as emails seeking comment from Supernova’s co-founders, went unanswered until press time.
Product shift
Founded in 2021 by Maharishi R.B., Anirudh Coontoor and Nawin Krishna, Supernova initially offered game-like quizzes, short lessons and worksheets for children studying the CBSE curriculum. It later shifted its focus to spoken English. In a blog post published in January, investor Kae Capital said the founders tried three product approaches before settling on the AI tutor in 2023.
Chief executive Maharishi R.B. studied at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and worked in product roles at medicine-delivery startups Myra Medicines and Medlife before joining tax-software firm Clear, according to his LinkedIn profile. Coontoor previously co-founded Myra and later worked as vice-president of engineering at Medlife. Myra was acquired by Medlife in 2019.
The app lets learners practise speaking with an AI tutor called Nova, which provides feedback on pronunciation and grammar. Learners can also ask questions in Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi, according to Supernova’s website.
Supernova says more than 10 million learners have used its app, while its website lists 7.5 million “paid users”. Learners use short lessons and simulated conversations with Nova, the app’s AI tutor, for feedback on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
In a February interview with The Economic Times, Maharishi said the service cost ₹200–300 a month.
Funding for Indian AI startups reached $1.07 billion in the first half of 2026, up from $802 million a year earlier, according to Venture Intelligence data. Large deals this year have spanned different parts of the industry.
Neysa secured commitments for up to $600 million in equity for AI computing infrastructure in February; Indian-language AI developer Sarvam raised $234 million in June; and AI-coding platform Emergent raised $130 million in July.
Closer to Supernova’s market, AI English-learning app SpeakX raised $16 million in a round led by WestBridge Capital in October 2025.