MapmyIndia invites Aravind Srinivas-led Perplexity AI for collaboration

Domestic digital mapping firm MapmyIndia has invited Perplexity AI to explore a collaboration, following remarks by the startup’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, on the challenges of replicating platforms like Google Maps.

Taking to X, MapmyIndia wrote: “...we’ve proudly partnered with @Zoho, we’d love to partner with @perplexity_ai too.”



The post followed Srinivas’s tweet: "YouTube and Maps are the hardest. Maybe even impossible. The rest are hard but doable," highlighting the technical complexity behind such services.

MapmyIndia said that Srinivas is in fact “so correct” but emphasised that the company has been building maps since 1995, “down to house-number-level detail,” a level of precision that even global tech giants have struggled to match.

“While many believed world-class maps could only come from global giants, @MapmyIndia quietly made the impossible possible - continuously mapping, updating since 1995, and perfecting every corner of India, empowering people, businesses, and governments with location intelligence,” the company added.

The move aligns with recent government efforts to promote homegrown apps, including Zoho-backed Arratai and Mappls by MapmyIndia, to support local startups and businesses.

ET had earlier reported that MapmyIndia has urged the government to make pre-installation of Mappls mandatory on smartphones produced under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

Currently, MapmyIndia serves over 35 million users and is expanding internationally, aiming to strengthen India’s position in the global digital ecosystem. Mappls offers 3D junction views that provide realistic three-dimensional visuals of complex flyovers, underpasses, and roundabouts, designed specifically for India’s intricate road networks.