Granite Asia Leads Investment in Enterprise AI

Centific, a U.S.-based AI data platform, has raised $60 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Singapore’s Granite Asia and joined by Stellar Ventures, Jenny Lee, and Venkat Rangapuram. Rather than a lifeline, this investment reflects a strategic ambition to expand globally, especially in Asia. CEO Venkat Rangapuram described the round as “an investment in ambition.” He emphasized that Centific wants to empower enterprises with AI systems that are resilient, localized, and ready for real-world use.

From Data Foundry to Regional Expansion

Centific calls itself an “AI data foundry.” It helps companies train AI systems using tailored datasets. The platform addresses common issues such as bias, hallucinations, and poor generalization. Its clients include Nvidia, Microsoft, and Lenovo. Now, Centific plans to strengthen its footprint in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Singapore and India. In addition, the company will expand its R&D and explore “physical AI”—models designed to work with real-world machinery. Rangapuram noted that many AI models lack grounding in specific scenarios. Without that, they cannot meet enterprise-level expectations. The company aims to fill that gap by offering precise, high-quality datasets that reflect operational realities.

A Regional AI Ecosystem in the Making

Granite Asia emerged from the 2023 split of GGV Capital. The fund sees Centific as part of its long-term vision to build tech infrastructure across Asia. Jenny Lee, a senior managing partner, said the company is uniquely positioned to become a foundational partner in the enterprise AI stack. Granite Asia has also formed investment alliances across the region, including with Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund and Japan’s Integral. As Asia becomes increasingly central to the future of AI development, Centific’s hybrid approach—combining automation with human oversight—may offer a model for building scalable, multilingual AI systems grounded in real-world use cases.