Indian-Origin Entrepreneur’s ‘Missed Call’ Idea Becomes $1 Billion AI Unicorn Avoca
While Silicon Valley pours billions into chatbots and generative art, two founders decided to look where few tech entrepreneurs go: the local HVAC company. That decision has now yielded a billion-dollar result.
Apurva Shrivastava, an Indian-origin engineer, and his co-founder, Tyson Chen.Thestartuphasraisedover1b illionvaluation∗.The startup has raised over 125 million across Seed, Series A, and Series B rounds, with the Series B led by Meritech Capital and General Catalyst , and the Series A led by Kleiner Perkins.
The premise, however, is rooted in a lesson Shrivastava learned growing up as a first-generation Indian-American in Michigan. He spent years helping his family manage phone calls for their business and realised a brutal truth about the trades: in industries like plumbing, roofing, and electrical work, a missed call isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a lost contract .
“The reality is that execution breaks down when demand spikes or when teams are stretched thin.”
— Apurva Shrivastava, Co-founder of Avoca
The Journey: From Apple Intern to Y Combinator
Shrivastava’s path to building a unicorn was paved with experience at some of tech’s biggest names. In his early career, he interned at Apple and Google before working as an engineer at Retool and Sunshine . It was during these years that he began bridging the gap between elite AI research and practical, blue-collar utility.
In 2022, Shrivastava joined his college friend Tyson Chen to co-found Avoca. The duo joined the Y Combinator Winter 2023 batch with a simple but radical idea: an AI agent that sounds human, answers the phone in seconds, and handles everything from scheduling to CRM entries .
The Pivot to HVAC
Initially, the duo built answering machines for restaurants, where Shrivastava noted that a missed call could cost a business 30−30−40 per order . However, their attention shifted dramatically when they encountered an HVAC business. For a firm specialising in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, a missed call could lead to a loss of $40,000 .
This realisation was a turning point. For the first few months, Chen and Shrivastava built a product exclusively for Rescue Air, an HVAC business. That partnership helped them find their first several customers and shaped the product into what Avoca is today .
How Avoca’s AI Agents Work
Unlike many AI firms aiming to automate desk work, Avoca focuses on the “main characters” of the physical economy: the technicians. The startup’s AI agents are designed to sound human, answer calls within seconds, and handle complex scheduling 24/7 .
What sets Avoca apart is its deep integration with industry-specific software. The AI doesn’t just take a message; it :
- Checks real-time calendars
- Books appointments directly into the company’s system
- Proactively follows up on old estimates that were never signed
The platform also helps with running custom marketing campaigns and customer follow-ups, giving service businesses the AI tools that match the quality of work they deliver .
Traction and Growth Metrics
The market’s response to Avoca has been explosive. From its early days of relying on network effects, trade shows, and conferences to get its first 10 customers, the startup has now grown to serve over 800 customers .
Key Customers:
- 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
- Goettl Air Conditioning
Financial Milestones:
- Surpassed eight figures in annual recurring revenue in 2025
- Currently on track to book nearly $1 billion in jobs for its clients this year
- Serves a $1 trillion home services economy
Why Investors Are Betting on Vertical AI
Investors are betting that “vertical AI”—technology built for specific industries—is the next frontier . While Silicon Valley chases general-purpose intelligence, Shrivastava and Chen have found their fortune in the hum of air conditioners and the ring of a plumber’s phone.
This strategy aligns with a broader trend in Silicon Valley called AI Rollup—transforming traditional, labour-intensive companies into highly efficient “AI Factories” . By applying AI to sectors like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work—industries that have traditionally lagged in tech adoption—startups can unlock massive efficiency gains.
The approach ensures that in the $1 trillion home services economy, no call goes unanswered .
What This Means for the Startup Ecosystem
Avoca’s success carries several important signals for Indian-origin founders and the global startup ecosystem:
1. Look Beyond Consumer Tech
The next wave of unicorns may not come from flashy consumer apps but from applying advanced technology to traditional, underserved industries. HVAC, plumbing, and roofing are massive markets with significant inefficiencies that AI can solve.
2. Indian-Origin Founders Are Leading Global Deep-Tech
Shrivastava joins a growing list of Indian-origin entrepreneurs shaping global innovation—from Aman Sanger (Cursor AI, a potential $60 billion acquisition target for SpaceX) to Pratyush Kumar (Sarvam AI) .
3. Practical AI Over Hype
In an era of generative AI hype, Avoca proves that solving practical, everyday problems—like answering a business phone call—can be just as valuable as building the next foundation model.
“If the AI doesn’t pick up the phone, you go out of business. For these small businesses, it’s existential.”
— Industry Observer
The Road Ahead
With a fresh 1billionvaluationandover125 million in funding, Avoca is well-positioned to expand its footprint across the home services economy. The company plans to continue developing its AI capabilities while onboarding more businesses that rely on customer calls for their survival.
For Shrivastava, the journey from helping his family manage phone calls to building a billion-dollar AI company is a full-circle moment. It proves that sometimes, the biggest opportunities are hiding in plain sight—in the missed calls, the busy technicians, and the ringing phones of America’s small businesses.
