The functional lens: how leaders across operations, finance, HR, sales, and other functions are navigating AI adoption in the departments where it hasn’t yet broken through.
This cohort is primarily COOs (33%) and CFOs (24%), with the remainder spread across sales, HR, marketing, content, and product. These leaders run the functions the CEO section flagged as farthest behind: operations, finance, and HR. This is their ground reality.
Operations, Finance, and Beyond
Operations, Finance, and Beyond
Operations, Finance, and Beyond
The functional lens: how leaders across operations, finance, HR, sales, and other functions are navigating AI adoption in the departments where it hasn’t yet broken through.
This cohort is primarily COOs (33%) and CFOs (24%), with the remainder spread across sales, HR, marketing, content, and product. These leaders run the functions the CEO section flagged as farthest behind: operations, finance, and HR. This is their ground reality.
// HIGHLIGHT 01
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Operations and finance are behind by design. The ecosystem was built for developers first.
The CEO section showed a clear adoption gradient across functions: engineering at 85% in production, product at 75%, marketing at 48%, operations at 40%, and finance at just 14%
Hearing directly from these leaders confirms and deepens the picture. 47.6% are still in the early exploration stage. Another 28.6% are running pilots. Only 23.8% have reached any form of production use (14.3% are broadly deployed, 9.5% are in partial production). These functional leaders are at an earlier stage of the journey.
The maturity gap is not about reluctance. 73.7% of these leaders report being more excited about AI than a year ago. The gap is about readiness.
The right tools don’t exist yet for their specific workflows, the ROI hasn’t been proven in their functions, and most haven’t yet committed to either building or buying AI solutions. They’re waiting because the ecosystem hasn’t met them where they are yet.
Function AI Adoption Status
Function AI Adoption Status
47.6%
47.6%
Early exploration
Early exploration
28.6%
28.6%
Running pilots
Running pilots
9.5%
9.5%
Partial production use
Partial production use
14.3%
14.3%
Broadly deployed
Broadly deployed
// HIGHLIGHT 02
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52% of functional leaders can't find AI that fits what they actually do.
Every persona in our survey identifies barriers to AI adoption. But functional leaders face a more fundamental problem: the tools they need don’t exist yet.
“Lack of relevant tools” is the top barrier by a significant margin. This barrier profile is structurally different from that seen in technology-adjacent functions.
CTOs have an embarrassment of AI tools to choose from, while CMOs have ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Veo transforming their content workflows. But an operations leader trying to automate supply chain decisions, or a CFO trying to embed AI into financial close processes, faces a much thinner market.
The AI startup ecosystem has been built for developers and marketers first. Operations, finance, and HR represent the next wave of opportunity.
44%
Automate repetitive processes
28.6%
Budget constraints
23.8%
No clear
ROI
19%
Compliance/
regulatory concerns
19%
None of the
above
19%
None of the
above
14.3%
Team resistance
9.5%
No global/local success stories yet
4.8%
AI not relevant to what we do
4.8%
Sponsorship from leadership
// HIGHLIGHT 03
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The ask is for models that know who they're working for.
Theme 1: Make it simple
Theme 1: Make it simple
The most common thread across responses is a plea for ease of use. Leaders want tools that “can be integrated without much tech knowledge,” with “ease of use, trust” as the foundation. They need AI that works the way their existing business tools work.
Theme 1: Make it simple
Theme 2: Understand my context
Theme 2: Understand my context
Multiple respondents ask for AI that natively understands their business context: from “contextual models” and “auto context management” to the detailed vision of a “single source of data truth” connecting ERP, payroll, bank statements, CRM, and billing.
Theme 3: Prove it works
Theme 3: Prove it works
“Clear ROI,” “proper tools, implementation roadmap and clear ROI,” and “early success” all point to the same need: functional leaders want evidence before commitment. Unlike CTOs, who will experiment with new tools because they can evaluate them technically, operations and finance leaders need the business case spelled out. They want implementation roadmaps, not just capabilities.
What Would 10x AI Adoption
Easy tools that can be integrated without much tech knowledge
Decrease in token cost by 60%
Better tools, better video editing, easier to adopt
Employing AI experts who can help automate functions
Proper tools, implementation roadmap and clear ROI
Single source of data truth for finance
Easy tools that can be integrated without much tech knowledge
Decrease in token cost by 60%
Better tools, better video editing, easier to adopt
Proper tools, implementation roadmap and clear ROI
Single source of data truth for finance
ELEVATION
AI Adoption Survey Report · Indian Startups 2025
Explore By Roles
Deep-dive into the data that matters most to your function
AI Adoption Survey Report · Indian Startups 2025
Explore By Roles
Deep-dive into the data that matters most to your function
AI Adoption Survey Report · Indian Startups 2025
// HIGHLIGHT 01
[ ]
Operations and finance are behind by design. The ecosystem was built for developers first.
The CEO section showed a clear adoption gradient across functions: engineering at 85% in production, product at 75%, marketing at 48%, operations at 40%, and finance at just 14%
Hearing directly from these leaders confirms and deepens the picture. 47.6% are still in the early exploration stage. Another 28.6% are running pilots. Only 23.8% have reached any form of production use (14.3% are broadly deployed, 9.5% are in partial production). These functional leaders are at an earlier stage of the journey.
The maturity gap is not about reluctance. 73.7% of these leaders report being more excited about AI than a year ago. The gap is about readiness.
The right tools don’t exist yet for their specific workflows, the ROI hasn’t been proven in their functions, and most haven’t yet committed to either building or buying AI solutions. They’re waiting because the ecosystem hasn’t met them where they are yet.
Function AI Adoption Status
47.6%
Early exploration
28.6%
Running pilots
9.5%
Partial production use
14.3%
Broadly deployed
// HIGHLIGHT 02
[ ]
52% of functional leaders can't find AI that fits what they actually do.
Every persona in our survey identifies barriers to AI adoption. But functional leaders face a more fundamental problem: the tools they need don’t exist yet.
“Lack of relevant tools” is the top barrier by a significant margin. This barrier profile is structurally different from that seen in technology-adjacent functions.
CTOs have an embarrassment of AI tools to choose from, while CMOs have ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Veo transforming their content workflows. But an operations leader trying to automate supply chain decisions, or a CFO trying to embed AI into financial close processes, faces a much thinner market.
The AI startup ecosystem has been built for developers and marketers first. Operations, finance, and HR represent the next wave of opportunity.
44%
Automate repetitive processes
28.6%
Budget constraints
23.8%
No clear
ROI
19%
Compliance/
regulatory concerns
19%
None of the above
19%
None of the above
14.3%
Team resistance
9.5%
No global/local success stories yet
4.8%
AI not relevant to what we do
4.8%
Sponsorship from leadership