Add to Google Preferred Sources
Adobe has acquired Rilo, an Indian AI workflow automation startup backed by Peak XV Partners, DeVC and Day Zero Ventures, in a deal involving technology licensing and a six-member team acquisition. Founded in 2025 by IIT Bombay batchmates Dhruv Jaglan and Georgi Boby, Rilo raised $1 million at a $10 million valuation and built tools that let marketing teams create AI-powered workflows through natural-language commands. The startup will shut down post-acquisition, with investors receiving an exit. The deal marks Adobe’s second India acquisition after Rephrase.ai in 2023 and strengthens its agentic AI capabilities within Adobe CX Enterprise as it competes with Canva, Anthropic and OpenAI in the marketing software space.
Key Elements
Adobe has acquired Rilo, an Indian startup that built AI-powered workflow automation tools for marketing teams, marking the software giant’s second acquisition in the country as it races to embed agentic AI across its customer experience products.
The deal, which TechCrunch first reported and Adobe confirmed, involves licensing Rilo’s technology and absorbing its six-member team. Financial terms were not disclosed. Rilo will shut down as a standalone product and will no longer be available to its customers.
Founded in 2025 by IIT Bombay batchmates Dhruv Jaglan and Georgi Boby, Rilo raised $1 million from Peak XV Partners, DeVC and Day Zero Ventures at a $10 million valuation. A exit. The startup attracted more than 10,000 users within months of launching
Jaglan, who served as CEO, announced the deal on LinkedIn, writing that the company was “joining Adobe to help bring AI to Fortune 500 marketers.” Boby said the startup’s mission from the outset had been to extend AI beyond engineers, and that the acquisition would allow that work to continue at a larger scale.
Rilo’s platform let go-to-market teams create custom workflows through natural-language instructions, with AI agents handling tasks such as competitive intelligence, prospecting, LinkedIn outreach, Reddit marketing, sales call analysis and content repurposing. Users could build what the company called “AI employees” capable of executing multi-step processes across different tools.
The acquisition fits into Adobe’s broader push into agentic AI at a time when businesses are increasingly automating complex marketing activities. In April, the company unveiled Adobe CX Enterprise, positioning it as an end-to-end agentic system for managing the customer lifecycle from acquisition through loyalty. Rilo’s capabilities could strengthen that offering, particularly for marketing teams looking to automate multi-step workflows.
Rahul Gupta, managing partner at Day Zero Ventures, said Rilo’s workflow builder “was way ahead of the curve and shall be extremely valuable to a giant like Adobe in enhancing customer experience and productivity.” Rahul Mathur of DeVC said Rilo could fit into Adobe’s CX and marketing suite to handle complex workflows and give customers visibility into actions taken on Adobe’s platform.
Adobe declined to comment beyond confirming the transaction.
The deal follows Adobe’s 2023 purchase of Rephrase.ai, an AI-driven video creation startup and its first known acquisition in India. Last year, Adobe made a marquee marketing acquisition by buying SEO optimization company Semrush for $1.9 billion.
Adobe faces intensifying competition from Canva, which has expanded its marketing portfolio through acquisitions and new product launches, as well as from AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI that are building their own automation tools. Amazon, Google and Meta have also developed AI-powered marketing infrastructure.
Rilo’s technology was comparable to emerging tools like Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, which allow teams to set up custom workflows. By bringing that capability in-house, Adobe gains a team with deep expertise in natural-language workflow automation at a relatively small cost.
The acquisition underscores a broader industry pattern: large software vendors are absorbing small AI startups to accelerate product development rather than building everything internally. For Rilo’s founders and team, the deal offers a path to scale their technology across Adobe’s enterprise customer base, which includes many of the world’s largest marketers.
Once added, BigGo Finance appears first in Google Search Top Stories, so you get the broadest, most up-to-the-minute, and most comprehensive global financial news first.
