Businesses are always striving to enhance efficiency—it's a critical commercial imperative. This pursuit can manifest as budget cuts or, in more extreme cases, layoffs and hiring freezes. However, Binny Gill, co-founder of Kognitos, argues that companies can optimize their operations without resorting to these difficult measures. The answer lies in automating business processes, which aligns perfectly with Kognitos’ mission.
"The pandemic triggered significant disruptions in the supply chain, forcing many enterprises to contend with limited resources, escalating costs, and restrictive work environments," Gill explained. "This crisis prompted organizations to scrutinize existing inefficiencies in their processes and realize the necessity of adopting new technologies, including AI, to enhance productivity, agility, and resilience."
You might wonder: doesn’t automation often lead to job losses? Indeed, a 2016 study suggested that robotic process automation (RPA) could render up to 16% of jobs redundant by 2025. However, these losses could be balanced out by an outgoing older workforce and growth in the gig economy. Proponents like Gill contend that automation can actually boost employee satisfaction and engagement by handling mundane tasks that are often unfulfilling.
Gill, who previously worked as a researcher at IBM and the CTO of Nutanix, founded Kognitos in 2020, inspired by his family’s experiences during the pandemic. While watching his son program a tic-tac-toe game in Python, Gill questioned why such technical skills were necessary for humans.
"What if machines could comprehend human language instead of the other way around?" Gill posed. "With that vision in mind, I launched Kognitos, enabling business users to automate tasks using everyday language."
Kognitos faces competition from established RPA companies like UiPath and Automation Anywhere, as well as newer entrants like Adept. However, Gill insists that Kognitos stands out for its sophistication and user-friendliness. The platform can convert English instructions into automated workflows, proactively identifying and flagging errors that users can correct, ultimately enhancing the system’s performance over time.
"No matter the complexity of a task or exception encountered, business users can understand and address issues independently, without requiring IT or developer assistance," Gill noted. "The system learns from the user— with their permission— and continuously improves the overall experience."
Currently, Kognitos can automate various tasks across multiple sectors, including voice transcription, light image editing, QR code scanning, data visualization creation, and PDF form completion.
"Most businesses have numerous processes that involve meticulous document or email reviews, data processing, and system updates, such as enterprise resource management or customer relationship management systems," Gill explained. "Kognitos is designed for both business process experts and everyday employees who would otherwise manage these tasks manually. Our user-friendly interface requires no coding skills, making it accessible to users with moderate technical abilities."
Investors are taking note of Kognitos' potential. The company recently announced a successful $20 million funding round led by Khosla Ventures, with contributions from Clear Ventures, Engineering Capital, and Wipro Ventures. This brings Kognitos' total funding to $30 million, which co-founder and CEO Binny Gill intends to allocate toward product development and expanding partnerships and integrations with third-party applications.
The strong backing from notable companies like PepsiCo and Wipro likely added to the investment appeal, though Gill has not disclosed details about revenue or profitability.
"Even in the face of a slowing tech sector, the dynamics of human and technology roles in business are undergoing significant transformation," Gill said. "[Kognitos’] unique value proposition will empower us to navigate this current slowdown and usher in the next phase of the technology revolution."
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