Coimbatore-Based AI Startup Kovai.co Rewards 140 Employees with ₹14 Crore Bonus, Founder Explains Motivation
Saravanakumar, the founder of the AI-driven B2B SaaS startup Kovai.co, awarded a ₹14 crore bonus to 140 employees, as reported by News18. His reasoning was straightforward: “People work in startups with the hope of becoming wealthy.”
In an interview, Saravanakumar, 48, shared that employees in most startups receive shares that hold little value, prompting him to give something more tangible. Three years ago, he promised his employees a bonus equivalent to six months’ salary in January 2025—a promise he has now kept.
Founded in 2011, Kovai.co is a bootstrapped startup based in Coimbatore, with clients including BBC, Boeing, and Shell. The company offers three main solutions: Document360 for creating help pages, Biztalk 360 for connecting back-end applications like Salesforce and SAP, and Turbo 360 for reducing cloud costs by up to 30%.
Saravanakumar, who spent ten years as an IT worker before moving to London 25 years ago, saw an opportunity to fill a market gap and founded Kovai.co. The company now generates $15 million in annual revenue and is valued at $100 million. After fulfilling his promise to employees, Saravanakumar aims to grow Kovai.co into a unicorn with $100 million in revenue.
