Froncort.AI Receives $2.3M Grant for Disease Surveillance in India

On November 10, 2026, Froncort.AI, a Pune-based healthcare AI startup, announced it has secured a grant of $2.3 million from Google.org, along with $200,000 in Google Cloud credits and pro bono technical expertise. This funding is part of Google.org's Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation, which supports innovative solutions aimed at enhancing public health. The financial backing will aid Froncort.AI in the development of mAI-NETRA, a mobile version of its existing AI-powered disease surveillance and detection platform, AI-NETRA.

Founded in 2024 by physician-scientist Dr. Ujjwal Rao, Froncort.AI focuses on improving early disease detection through the application of artificial intelligence. The mAI-NETRA platform will utilize AI, satellite imagery, and government health data to identify areas at higher risk for infectious diseases. It aims to assist frontline health workers by guiding them toward targeted screenings, thereby enhancing public health responses to disease outbreaks.

In a validation study conducted with Maharashtra’s state tuberculosis (TB) program, Froncort.AI demonstrated that teams using AI-NETRA were able to identify a similar number of confirmed pulmonary TB cases while screening two-thirds fewer individuals compared to traditional methods. The cost per confirmed case also decreased significantly, from approximately $29,000 to $10,000, while 92% of participating frontline workers reported a reduced workload. This underscores the platform's efficiency and effectiveness in managing public health challenges.

The mAI-NETRA platform combines government health data with Google’s Earth AI models and local risk indicators, such as settlement density and environmental factors, to pinpoint high-risk geographical clusters. It facilitates the mapping of household clusters and creates optimized routes for health workers during field visits, improving their operational efficiency in disease management.

With the latest funding, Froncort.AI plans to extend its capabilities to cover six infectious diseases, including TB, Leprosy, Malaria, Dengue, Cholera, and Leptospirosis. The startup also intends to release mAI-NETRA as an open-source blueprint, enabling governments to adapt the technology for their public health initiatives. As AI continues to gain traction in strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure, Froncort.AI’s innovations represent a critical step toward improving disease surveillance and early diagnosis across the country.