Amid rapid AI adoption across the globe, AI-based SaaS startup Outplay has been acquired by JungleWorks.

Outplay cofounder and CEO Laxman Papineni told Inc42 that the Florida-based SaaS company acquired a majority stake in the startup from other investors.

Founded in 2011, JungleWorks operates a no-code hyperlocal commerce and delivery stack to set up and manage on-demand businesses. It provides ecommerce businesses software solutions to handle everything from taking orders online and assigning drivers or technicians to tracking deliveries and payments.

Following the acquisition, JungleWorks also plans to invest $14 Mn in Outplay to accelerate the latter’s growth and build AI-driven sales automation tools.

The sales engagement startup will continue to operate independently from JungleWorks. Laxman and his brother Ram Papineni (CTO of the startup) will continue to lead the startup’s day-to-day activities.

Founded in 2019 by the brothers, Outplay’s AI-powered sales engagement platform automates repetitive tasks for business teams. It also lets sales professionals engage with prospective clients across channels like email, phone, SMS, among others.

The Sequoia Capital-backed startup claims to have over 600 clients, including Plum, Yellow.ai, Observe.ai, among others.

The acquisition comes about four years after Outplay netted in its Series A funding round. Back then, Laxman said that the startup would look to firm up its AI tech stack.

Since then, the AI landscape has evolved drastically, making automation a critical requirement for the survival of businesses, rather than a luxury. Most enterprises are turning to AI for automation.

As businesses ramp up AI adoption aggressively, a number of new players are emerging everyday to cater to their needs. The heightened competition and similarities in their business models were the two key reasons that drove Outplay’s decision to get acquired.

It is worth mentioning that JungleWorks founder and CEO Samar Singla has been an angel investor in Outplay since its early days.

With the merger, Outplay’s sales engagement platform will be integrated with JungleWorks’ business automation solutions, creating an end-to-end ecosystem for customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. Outplay plans to hire about 50 new team members in 2025 to support its growth.

Following the acquisition, the startup will focus on building two products – AI SDR Agents (sales development representatives) to improve outbound sales and an advanced CRM (customer relationship management) platform designed to optimise prospecting and deal management.

“Our focus remains on developing AI-powered SDRs and a next-generation CRM, helping businesses scale their sales efforts like never before,” Laxman said.

Currently, JungleWorks claims to serve over 21,000 businesses, including KFC, McDonald’s, Tata Play, among others, globally.

“This acquisition is a natural fit for our vision to empower businesses with AI at every stage of the customer journey. By combining Outplay’s advanced sales engagement capabilities with JungleWorks’ no-code local commerce solutions and expertise, we are creating a powerful AI ecosystem that serves businesses globally,” Singla said.

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