Hyderabad-based startup Equal, an ID verification and data sharing platform, has launched an AI-powered call assistant designed to answer phone calls on behalf of users and combat spam.
“After extensive alpha and beta testing, where we gathered user feedback and fixed issues, we would start off by launching in Delhi NCR for an initial 10,000 users,” said Keshav Reddy, founder of Equal and son of GVK Group vice-chairman GV Sanjay Reddy, in an interaction with FE.
What did Keshav Reddy say?
“Unlike existing caller ID apps that simply tell you who is calling, our focus is on answering the more important question, why they are calling and giving users the ability to take live action in real time,” he added. The service will debut on October 2 through an early access programme for the first 10,000 Android users in Delhi NCR.
The AI assistant screens unknown calls, providing live transcripts before users decide to join. It can also coordinate deliveries without requiring users to repeat their address and allows them to intervene at any point during a call. In internal trials, Equal AI claimed a 94% spam detection rate, 87% reduction in call interruptions, and zero false positives for saved contacts.
Equal says privacy is a core feature. The service records unknown calls to create transcripts, but users can delete those recordings at any time, Reddy said.
How did Equal come about?
Founded in 2022 by Reddy and Rajeev Ranjan, a former engineering director at Swiggy, Equal started as a bootstrapped venture and has since onboarded over 350 enterprise clients, including SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Jio, Airtel, Uber, and Zoom.
The company is backed by marquee investors including Prosus, Blume Ventures, DST Global Partners, Binny Bansal, Kunal Shah, Nikhil Kamath, and Parth Jindal. Its advisory board includes Justice B.N. Srikrishna (former Supreme Court judge and Chair of India’s Data Protection Committee), Jagdish Capoor and Dr. Rakesh Mohan (former RBI Deputy Governors), and J. Satyanarayana (ex-Chairman, UIDAI).