This startup aims to be the ‘ChatGPT’ for India’s livestock farmers

Livestock rearing can be complicated, labour-intensive work on a good day. But what happens when you need urgent advice and no resources are readily available or accessible?

Farmers in remote villages often lack access to timely expert advice about animal husbandry and cattle care in their own language, leaving urgent problems unresolved for too long. Bengaluru-based Pashushala.comPashushala aims to solve this by instantly connecting them with a platform that guides in local languages, helping millions across India get the support they need.

Founded in 2018 by Gaurav Choudhary, the online marketplace offers farmers access to livestock, equipment, farm tools, veterinary services, insurance, and market networks. Its platform aims to systematise the largely unorganised livestock and dairy sector. 

In a conversation with YourStory, Choudhary says, “So far, Pashushala has onboarded over 10 lakh farmers, 30,000 veterinary doctors, 10,000 resellers, and around 50 manufacturers across 15 states. Every month, over one lakh unique farmers use the platform, with more than 10,000 active listings currently live.”

But where did this journey begin?

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A ‘lucky’ beginning

Hailing from Helga, a village in Bihar’s Bhagapura district, Choudhary grew up in an agrarian family. “I witnessed firsthand the struggles of farmers trying to make ends meet despite owning livestock,” he says.

But he considers himself ‘lucky’. “I got educated and understood business,” he says. “I realised that if dairy farming or goat and sheep farming is done right, it can double your income every year. But people weren’t able to make this happen. That intrigued me.”

After completing his computer engineering degree from SSBT’s College, Bambhori, he did an MBA from IIM Ranchi and spent over a decade working as a management consultant across various industries.

After more than a decade of working with firms like Netlynx Solution, Accenture, ProPlus, Takshashila, TripThrill, and Wadhwani Foundation, Choudhary decided to return to his roots, but as an entrepreneur. 

His mission was simple: to ensure that no farmer who owns cattle ends up as a daily wage labourer in a city because the income from livestock is unsustainable. In 2018, with a capital of Rs 20 lakh from his savings, he began building Pashushala from the ground up.

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An end-to-end platform

Pashushala started as an online livestock marketplace but quickly evolved into an all-encompassing platform for everything related to animal husbandry. The platform aims to strengthen India’s livestock economy by collaborating with livestock owners, farmers, startups, manufacturers, researchers, veterinary doctors, insurance, and finance providers. 

However, one of the biggest challenges in the sector is the uneven availability of quality cattle. States like Gujarat and Punjab boast a rich selection of breeds while farmers in Bihar, MP, UP, and Maharashtra face barriers, including a lack of information, market access, and logistics. 

“We are going to make quality cattle democratically available across the country,” Choudhary says.

Pashushala’s flagship offering is PashuGPT, an AI assistant trained on three years of proprietary data. The beta version, launched on April 4, supports 13 Indian languages, offering voice-based help to farmers who may not know about Google searches but can use WhatsApp or YouTube. “PashuGPT is a part of the Pashushala platform and will be rolled out as an independent app as well, by the month's end,” the founder says.

“All you need to do is open Pashushala, press a mic button, and say: ‘Pashu Guru, my cow hasn’t eaten in two days and the temperature is high, what should I do?’ It will respond in your language,” he explains.

The ration calculator, another data-driven tool, helps farmers feed their livestock optimally without needing expensive consultations with animal nutritionists. "We’ve made it free, based on years of research," the founder says. 

The startup has structured its operations to serve the B2C, B2B, and B2G sectors. Farmers can purchase directly; manufacturers and vendors can list and sell products; and government bodies can partner to implement grassroots programmes. The platform has worked with the Jharkhand and Goa governments; Uttar Pradesh is next in line. 

Building for scale

Pashushala has two revenue channels—vendor subscriptions and transaction fees. Vendors pay a subscription fee of a minimum of Rs 6,000 to join the platform. For transactions, the platform charges a 10-20% fee based on the service provided. 

However, farmers can use the platform for free, with a limit of two to three free transactions each time they use it.

Pashushala has a 57-member team managing tech and field operations. Bootstrapped since 2018, it secured Rs 1 crore in support and incubation from IIM Udaipur, IIM Bodh Gaya, and MeitY. The founder is now seeking external funding. 

Choudhary estimates that he himself has invested around Rs 3 crore in the startup’s technology alone. “Technology is our backbone. It doesn’t just connect farmers, it distributes value. Every layer, be it buyer, seller, logistics, or insurance, is accountable through our systems,” he explains. Internal processes are continually refined to make decision-making scalable and responsive.

Pashushala is also preparing to launch structured financial services to help farmers secure loans. The platform has already worked with banks like PNB, SBI, and Canara Bank, and currently offers case-by-case guidance for accessing finance through traditional and modern channels. 

“With rising demand, we are building an end-to-end solution and plan to launch a dedicated finance arm to offer credit at scale with greater ease,” Choudhary says.

Choudhary openly acknowledges competitors like MeraPashu360 and Animall, but sees them as collaborators in a massive, under-digitised industry. “The market is worth Rs 4.2 lakh crore annually, and nearly 100% of it is still offline. Even if we serve 20–25 lakh farmers in the next five years, we’re heading in the right direction,” he says.

The founder says the biggest challenge in building his startup was gaining the trust of farmers. “The initial step in establishing trust was to meet them face-to-face and explain, one-on-one, why we are doing this and how it will benefit them,” he adds.

Pashushala’s goal is to narrow the gap between the demand and supply of quality feed and fodder. “If we can reduce this gap by even 20–25% in the next three years, it will significantly help the industry,” Choudhary says.