Ex-slice executive’s AI startup QwikBuild raises $2.3 million, plans Japan joint venture with Globalway

QwikBuild has raised $2.3 million in a funding round led by Globalway, aimed at expanding its enterprise AI platform and entering the Japanese market via a joint venture.

Related: Enterprise AI startup Ema raises $77 million in Series B funding led by Creaegis

QwikBuild, an enterprise AI startup headquartered in Bengaluru, has secured $2.3 million (roughly ₹22 crore) in a pre-seed funding round headed by Japanese technology firm Globalway. Additional participants include Blume Ventures, DeVC, Marsshot, along with angel investors Lalit Keshre, the founder of Groww, and Ankit Nagori, CEO of Curefoods.

Established in 2025 by Pradeep Ayyagari, a former executive at Slice, QwikBuild creates enterprise software and AI agents that assist businesses in building, deploying and updating applications with greater efficiency.

The startup intends to use the new funding to reinforce its go-to-market strategy, build a team in the United States and broaden its operations throughout Southeast Asia. Furthermore, it has announced a joint venture with Globalway aimed at entering Japan’s enterprise software market.

This funding represents a significant milestone in QwikBuild’s global expansion. It also underscores the rising investor interest in AI platforms that enable companies to automate intricate business processes instead of merely generating content or answering questions.

QwikBuild is an enterprise AI platform built to help companies create custom software and automate their workflows. Rather than relying solely on conventional development teams, businesses can employ AI agents to transform their requirements into functional applications.

The platform enables new software development, replacement of legacy systems, and custom integrations with enterprise tools like SAP and Salesforce. It is also intended to help business teams keep applications updated as their needs evolve.

How AI Agents Make Software Development Easier

Traditional software development typically involves multiple stages, such as requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, security checks and deployment. These stages can take a significant amount of time, especially when a company depends on several teams or external developers.

QwikBuild seeks to automate much of this process using specialised AI agents that coordinate various development tasks.

Its approach consists of:

• Understanding requirements: Business users explain the system they need by having conversations with AI.
• Building applications: Specialised agents assist with application design, database structures, interfaces and integrations.
• Testing and security: The platform builds testing and security checks into the development process.
• Deployment and updates: The system supports deployment and continuous changes as business requirements evolve.

The aim is to make software development more accessible to people who understand business operations but may lack advanced programming skills.

Nevertheless, enterprise applications still call for suitable governance, security reviews and oversight. The actual speed of development and the cost savings will differ depending on how complex the project is.

In addition to the funding announcement, Snow Mountain AI Private Limited, QwikBuild’s technology developer, has signed an agreement with Globalway, a Japan-listed technology company, to set up a joint venture for the Japanese market.

The joint venture is anticipated to begin operations by the end of 2026. It intends to secure an exclusive licence to distribute, implement and support QwikBuild for companies headquartered in Japan and their operations abroad.

How the Joint Venture Will Operate

The partnership merges QwikBuild’s AI technology with Globalway’s enterprise relationships and expertise in software implementation.

As per the announced arrangement, Globalway is anticipated to hold a 70% stake in the joint venture, while Snow Mountain AI is expected to hold 30% once the planned investment stages are finalized.

Such an arrangement could assist QwikBuild in reaching Japanese businesses that require local implementation and ongoing support. It also provides Globalway with an opportunity to broaden its enterprise software offering through AI-led development technology.

What Makes Japan a Significant Market?

Japanese companies frequently run intricate business systems that take considerable time and resources to build and maintain. As business requirements evolve, companies also require quicker methods for updating their existing applications.

QwikBuild seeks to tackle these challenges by enabling business teams to describe their needs and leveraging AI agents to assist in developing the necessary systems.

Via Globalway, the startup can target Japanese customers alongside a local partner who understands the enterprise software market. Even so, success will hinge on satisfying customers’ demands for reliability, data security, integration, and long-term support.

QwikBuild intends to put the new capital toward expanding the business instead of concentrating solely on product development.

Its main priorities are as follows.

1. Assemble a Team in the United States

The startup intends to set up a US team to back its go-to-market efforts. Having a local presence may assist QwikBuild in developing relationships with enterprise customers, grasping their software requirements, and assisting with new deployments.

The United States also presents opportunities for AI software companies that serve businesses looking to modernise internal systems and automate workflows.

2. Broaden Its Reach Throughout Southeast Asia

QwikBuild likewise intends to expand its operations throughout Southeast Asia. Such growth may enable the startup to connect with businesses looking for alternatives to long and costly software development projects.

In addition, the company can draw on its existing customer experience to pinpoint relevant industries and use cases in new markets.

3. Reinforce Enterprise Sales and Customer Adoption

For a software startup in its early stages, securing funding is just one piece of the growth equation. The company also needs to convert its technology into customer deployments that can be repeated.

QwikBuild intends to bolster its go-to-market efforts in order to reach more businesses and broaden adoption of its platform.

How well it can show measurable gains in development speed, operating costs and workflow efficiency will matter for growth over the long term.

QwikBuild states that its platform is used by over 100 enterprises in India, Southeast Asia, the United States and Dubai. The company notes that its customers range from large enterprises to smaller businesses seeking to deploy software without keeping dedicated technology teams.

This customer base indicates that the company is already targeting markets outside India. It also offers QwikBuild the chance to learn how businesses in various regions handle software development and workflow automation.

What Makes QwikBuild Distinctive in the Enterprise AI Space?

A lot of AI tools concentrate on one particular task, like writing content, analysing documents or automating customer calls. QwikBuild is designed to tackle a wider challenge: helping companies build the software and workflows that shape how their operations function.

For instance, a financial services firm might need to determine which customers to reach out to, how to segment them and which communication strategy to use.

A specialised tool could handle the calls automatically. By contrast, QwikBuild aims to help businesses create software that captures the decisions underlying the process and coordinates the actions that follow.

This approach may prove valuable for companies whose processes change often. Still, customer adoption will hinge on the platform’s capacity to produce reliable results, integrate with existing systems and satisfy enterprise security requirements.

QwikBuild’s funding round underscores the rising interest in enterprise AI startups focused on practical business applications.

Companies are increasingly looking for ways to go beyond AI experiments and bring intelligent systems into everyday operations. As a result, platforms that link AI agents with software development, business processes and existing enterprise tools may draw further attention.

Indian startups also have an opportunity to serve international markets by building technology for complex business needs.

QwikBuild’s partnership with Globalway shows one way to pursue that opportunity. Instead of entering Japan on its own, the startup can pair its technology with a partner that understands local enterprise customers.

At the same time, international expansion brings challenges. Businesses must adapt to differing customer expectations, security standards and procurement processes. QwikBuild will therefore need to demonstrate that its platform delivers consistent value across markets.

Backed by $2.3 million in pre-seed funding, QwikBuild intends to expand its international footprint and speed up enterprise uptake of its AI platform.

Its near-term goals are to assemble a US team, grow throughout Southeast Asia and get ready for its joint venture with Globalway in Japan. This venture is anticipated to help bring the platform to Japanese enterprises and assist with its deployment on the ground.

The coming phase will center on turning these expansion plans into lasting customer growth. QwikBuild will have to show that its AI agents can build reliable applications, cut development effort and adjust to shifting business requirements.

All in all, QwikBuild’s $2.3 million funding round represents a significant milestone in its push to grow enterprise AI around the world. Its partnership with Globalway could offer a valuable way into Japan, while its broader expansion plans open up opportunities in other markets.

The company’s long-term success will hinge on whether it can translate its AI-driven approach to software development into business results that are measurable and repeatable.