From Singapore Classmates to Y Combinator Success: The Rise of Lexi
Harshit Garg and Kiran Mohan, computer science engineering graduates from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), embarked on divergent career trajectories after their studies. Garg pursued postgraduate legal studies in Melbourne, Australia, becoming a barrister, while Mohan remained in Singapore to work as a software engineer. Their paths converged in 2025 during a meeting in Singapore, where they identified a critical gap in the global legal industry: the slow adoption of artificial intelligence compared to other sectors.
Founding Lexi: Bridging Law and Technology
This realization sparked the creation of Lexi, a legal-tech startup that has since captured the attention of Y Combinator, a prestigious international accelerator. Lexi stands as the first Indian legal-tech company to receive backing from Y Combinator, focusing on developing AI-powered legal associates for lawyers. "Our extensive research involved discussions with about 200 lawyers and law firms across India, Australia, and Singapore," explained Mohan, co-founder and CTO. "In India, we engaged with practitioners from district courts to the Supreme Court, discovering that most legal services were manual. Many lawyers struggled with time-consuming draft preparations, limiting their capacity for new cases."
Leveraging Expertise and Securing Funding
Their academic specialization in AI and professional experiences proved invaluable. Garg had previously founded an online ticket-booking platform before relocating to Australia, and Mohan led teams in blockchain infrastructure and AI applications at a Singapore-based firm. Both resigned from their jobs and returned to India to launch Lexi in June 2025. The name Lexi derives from Latin, meaning law, reflecting its core mission.
Garg, hailing from a family of lawyers in Punjab, oversees legal aspects, while Mohan, from Chennai, manages technology. "After launching, we applied to Y Combinator in the US," said Garg. "Securing funding from them is challenging, requiring a convincing 10-minute online pitch. We succeeded and received $0.5 million in our initial fundraising round."
Expansion and Unique Selling Proposition
Headquartered in Chennai, Lexi now operates in India, Singapore, and San Francisco. Over 100 law firms and lawyers handling more than 7,000 cases have onboarded the platform. In the past six months, the company raised an additional $0.5 million from various sources, including venture capital firms. "We plan to raise another $2 million this year to scale our product and sales," Mohan added.
In a market saturated with AI options, Lexi's unique selling proposition lies in its tailored approach. "Leading law firms have associates working round the clock on contracts, research, and drafts," Mohan noted. "We provide every lawyer with similar firepower through AI-powered associates, ensuring absolute privacy with end-to-end encryption and no use of customer data for model training."
Automating Legal Processes and Future Plans
Garg highlighted the efficiency gains: rental agreements, which can take hours to days to draft manually, are created in under two minutes on Lexi. Notices, affidavits, and other documents benefit similarly. The platform features separate AI models for India, Singapore, and the US, tailored to each legal system, with access to lakhs of court judgments at a touch. "Going forward, we aim to expand deeper into the case lifecycle," Garg said. "Currently, our AI agents handle research, drafting, and contract analysis, but we are upgrading to enable end-to-end case management."
