The 10 computer vision startups you need to watch out for

Computer vision combines machine learning, data processing, and AI to develop innovative solutions that find use cases on a daily basis.

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words – and computer vision could perhaps make it worth much more.

A field of computer science that works to help computers see, identify, and process images much like human vision does, computer vision offers endless and exciting possibilities. Closely linked with Artificial Intelligence, computer vision also provides the appropriate output that exceeds the limitations of the human eye.

Computer vision combines elements of machine learning, data processing, and analytics. It is fundamentally about processing images and coming up with use-case models. For example, in a typical driving scenario, the sudden appearance of an object in front of the vehicle could have multiple results. But in a computer vision-enabled scenario, these possibilities are minimised as the object is noticed much before the human eye can.

In India, a significant number of computer vision startups are engaged in processing images whose use-cases are being deployed in ecommerce, medicine, security, transportation, industrial automation, security, etc.

YourStory lists 10 startups that are working with computer vision.

Intello Labs

This Bengaluru-based agri-tech startup was founded by Milan Sharma, Nishant Mishra, Devendra Chandani, Himani Shah, and Ramakrishna M in 2016. Intello Labs provides expertise in computer vision, deep learning, image recognition, AI, neural networks and machine learning, consumer behaviour, and competitive landscape. For instance, a farmer can click an image of their crop and use their solution to understand pests, diseases, and weeds in their farms. Intello Labs has raised funding from Delhi-based incubator Indigram Labs, Indian government initiative World Food India, and US-based non-profit startup accelerator MassChallenge.

MintM

This California-based startup is a customer engagement platform for brands to collect, analyse, and visualise in-store data for decision making. Founded in 2013 by Sachin Garg, MintM has raised seed funding from Mumbai Angels, Times Internet, TLabs, and Microsoft Accelerator. MintM’s robotic platform recognises customers and objects to provide services such as footfall count, customer loyalty, personalisation, and an omni-channel experience.

Playment

Founded in 2015 by former Flipkart employees and IITians Siddharth Mall, Ajinkya Malasane, and Akshay Lal, this startup uses computer vision to help companies break up a large task into small packets, allowing participation of all employees. It is also a crowdsourcing platform where ordinary consumers can participate in tasks such as labelling of images. It has raised $700,000 as seed capital in funding from SAIF Partners. Through this platform, users can finish tasks in exchange for vouchers on ecommerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm.

SensoVision Systems

This startup has developed vision-based solutions for industries such as advertising, retail, and industrial automation for quality inspection. Founded in Bengaluru in 2015 by Vikram Jain and Aakash Dhamasia, SensoVision remains bootstrapped. Its vision-based algorithms use the latest technology, enabling simpler and faster processing. Its solutions are being employed in the pharma, food, and retail industries.

SigTuple

Founded in 2015 by Rohit Kumar Pandey, Tathagato Rai Dastidar, and Apurv Anand, SigTuple provides data-driven intelligence for healthcare. It builds intelligent screening solutions to aid diagnosis through AI-powered analysis of visual medical data. The platform also offers an interface for medical experts to get feedback and annotations. It has raised $24.8 million from Accel Partners, Trifecta Capital, Endiya Partners, IDG Ventures, Axilor Ventures, pi Ventures, angel investor Kris Gopalakrishnan, and Flipkart Co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal.

Streamoid Technologies

Founded in 2013 by Sridhar Manthani, Haricharan Lakshman, and Rajesh Kumar, this startup has a presence in India and the US. Its computer vision solutions are focused on the fashion industry to provide intelligence like the difference between “dress shirts” and “shirt dresses” and work as a knowledgeable assistant. There is also a mobile app that helps users organise their wardrobes. The team has got two patents on visual search and has raised $1 million from undisclosed angel investors.

Uncanny Vision

Founded in 2013 by Ranjith Parakkal and Navaneethan Sundaramoorthy, this startup leverages new-age hardware to bring real-time vision to IoT devices. It has three products under its portfolio – UncannyCV, UncannyDL, and Uncanny Surveillance. These use computer vision in processors, smartphones, and security. The AI-based computer vision enables smart surveillance cameras to provide real-time alerts. The Bengaluru-based startup is backed by former Snapdeal CPO Anand Chandrasekharan, Manipal Group, and Japan Global IoT Venture Fund, among others.

NetraDyne

Founded in 2015 by Avneesh Agrawal and David Julian, NetraDyne leverages computer vision to provide technology solutions to vehicle fleet transporters for safe and smooth driving. It claims to alert drivers about any emergency on the driving route and collects data on lane driving and following traffic rules. The startup, which has offices in San Diego and Bengaluru, has raised Series A funding of $16 million from the venture capital division of Reliance Industries.

Unbxd

Founded in 2011 by Pavan Sondur and Prashant Kumar, Unbxd combines machine learning and computer vision technologies to enable effective product discovery on ecommerce platforms. It does intelligent site searches, personalised product recommendations, and real-time merchandising. Unbxd claims to power more than 1.5 billion shopper interactions a month. The startup has raised $14.5 million in funding from investors such as IDG Ventures, Inventus Capital, Kris Gopalakrishnan, and Eight Roads Ventures.

iLenze

Three IIT Kanpur graduates – Ashish Kumar, Koustubh Sinhal, and Ankit Sachan – founded iLenze in January 2015. This visual search startup bridges the information gap between the real and the online world and enables users to search for any object. The startup is currently working in fashion, furniture, and home decor domains. It has raised seed funding of $500,000 from Singapore-based Mercatus Capital.