Anthropic hires former Microsoft executive Sangeeta Bavi to drive Claude adoption in Indian startups

Anthropic has made a strategic move by appointing Sangeeta Bavi, a former executive at Microsoft, to spearhead its initiatives aimed at digital natives, startups, and growth in India. This appointment signals the AI company's ambition to strengthen its foothold within India's rapidly evolving startup landscape. In her new position, Bavi will focus on promoting the adoption of Anthropic's AI model, Claude, among Indian startups and mid-sized enterprises. This decision comes amid heightened competition among global AI firms, all vying for a share of the burgeoning Indian market, which is becoming increasingly vital for enterprise AI integration and developer-led innovation. "India is experiencing a remarkable turning point. Our founders and growth-stage companies are not only embracing AI but are also innovating with it, expanding its reach across various sectors of the economy," Bavi stated in a LinkedIn post announcing her new role. She expressed her enthusiasm about contributing to this transformative journey with AI that is designed to be safe and beneficial. As AI companies race to establish robust local teams and forge partnerships, Anthropic's expansion comes at a crucial time. The firm aims to meet the growing demands from startups, developers, and digital-first businesses. Before joining Anthropic, Bavi dedicated nearly ten years to Microsoft, where she was instrumental in fostering startup engagement and developing partner ecosystems. During her tenure as Executive Director for Digital Natives from 2022 to 2025, Bavi played a key role in shaping Microsoft's startup-centric business strategies in India and South Asia. She oversaw growth programs for emerging startups and unicorns, helping them scale by leveraging Microsoft's cloud and AI solutions. Bavi's professional journey began at Nokia, where she spent almost seven years in various roles, including engineering and product management. She started her career at Nokia in 2003 as a senior software engineer and eventually became the Head of Developer Outreach. Bavi earned her Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, followed by an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.