Raj Shamani, Emergent Roll Out ₹1 Crore AI Challenge

Business owners and founders will build software for real operational problems using AI with the most impactful business transformations competing for a total prize pool of INR 1 Crore.

AI software creation platform Emergent has teamed up with entrepreneur and content creator Raj Shamani to launch a nationwide initiative encouraging Indian businesses to adopt artificial intelligence by building custom software for real operational challenges. The campaign offers a total prize pool of ₹1 crore for the most impactful business transformations.

The challenge invites business owners, founders and operators to identify a critical problem within their organisations, develop a software solution using Emergent’s AI platform, deploy it in daily operations and showcase measurable business outcomes. The top three entries demonstrating the most significant operational improvements will share the ₹1 crore prize.

The initiative comes as AI adoption gains momentum among Indian enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized businesses looking to digitise operations without investing heavily in traditional software development. Emergent’s platform enables users to build full-stack software applications using natural language, allowing businesses to create tools for inventory management, workflow automation, lead tracking, order management and operational monitoring without requiring coding expertise.

“Most businesses don’t need more software. They need software that reflects how their business actually works. Until now, building that has required time, money and technical resources that many businesses simply don’t have. AI changes that. We want to show that a manufacturer, trader, logistics operator or founder can now build tools around their own business and start seeing results in days, not months,” said Mukund Jha, Co-Founder and CEO of Emergent.

The campaign also underscores the growing role of entrepreneurs and creators in promoting practical AI adoption. As part of the initiative, Raj Shamani built software for his own business using Emergent and documented the process to demonstrate how AI-powered software creation is becoming accessible beyond developers and large technology companies.

“Every business owner knows there are bottlenecks inside the business that slow growth. For years, solving them meant hiring developers, agencies or technical teams. Today, AI changes that equation. If you understand the problem clearly enough, you can start building a solution yourself. This challenge is about showing business owners what’s possible when they stop waiting and start building,” said Raj Shamani.

The organisers said the initiative is aimed at encouraging manufacturers, traders, logistics companies, supply chain operators, direct-to-consumer brands and family-run businesses to become AI-native by integrating custom-built software into their day-to-day operations. Beyond the cash prize, the challenge seeks to showcase real-world examples of AI-driven business transformation and accelerate technology adoption across India’s business ecosystem.