3AI: India’s Largest AI and GCC Marketplace & Platform

India is stepping into a new era where its influence in AI and Global Capability Centers is reshaping global business strategy. With GCCs becoming the innovation engines for multinational enterprises and AI evolving into the core driver of transformation, the country now stands at the epicentre of a worldwide shift. But this growth also exposed one critical void: a shortage of strong, amplified thought leaders who can define the discourse, champion best practices, and set the pace for the future.

It is this unmet need that led to the creation of 3AI, a platform designed to bring structure, visibility, and influence to an industry ready for its next leap. Leading this mission is Sameer Dhanrajani, an industry stalwart whose deep understanding of AI, analytics, and GCC evolution positioned him to build a first-of-its-kind ecosystem. Under his leadership, 3AI has become the country’s most powerful community for AI and GCC professionals, shaping the narrative of India’s technology future.

The Mind Behind the Mission

For Sameer, the idea of 3AI was not born from theory but from years of observing two of the fastest-growing industry segments of our time: Artificial Intelligence and Global Capability Centers. From his vantage point within the ecosystem, he saw how both AI and GCCs were unlocking enormous possibilities for enterprises: accelerating growth, driving transformation, and enabling innovation at a scale never seen before. Yet, despite this immense potential, one challenge remained constant: a significant deficit of thought leaders at scale.

Across the industry, he observed professionals with strong academic backgrounds, global experience, and deep professional expertise. But very few had a defined thought leadership quotient, and there were almost no platforms that helped them showcase their perspectives or amplify their expertise. “This gap was not due to lack of capability but due to the absence of an ecosystem that meaningfully nurtures, curates, and elevates marquee leadership voices at scale,” reflects Sameer.

3AI was created to address exactly this need. The platform was conceptualised to support AI and GCC leaders through bespoke, high-impact engagements and interventions that strengthen their professional presence and accelerate their leadership journeys. This foundational insight continues to shape Sameer’s vision even today.

3AI at a Glance

3AI was founded in 2019 with a clear mission: to be the largest global platform and marketplace for AI and GCC leaders and professionals and to democratise thought leadership for leaders, partner GCCs, and enterprises at scale. Over the years, the platform has grown into India’s largest community for AI and GCC professionals, bringing together 1,600+ by-invite thought leaders representing 980+ organisations and more than 430 Global Capability Centers. Along with this leadership cohort, 3AI has a strong and active member base of over 56,000 professionals across 34 countries.

The platform is widely recognised as a trusted partner for corporates, GCCs, academic institutions, and startups in building and showcasing thought leadership, enhancing branding and visibility, strengthening talent advocacy, and enabling professional development. By providing curated pathways, ecosystem access, and structured leadership opportunities, 3AI has filled a critical gap in the industry.

3AI operates from Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Gurgaon, supported by a growing workforce of 140+ associates with competencies across digital, content, marketing, technology, operations, member success, and leadership enablement.

Its outreach extends to more than 16,000 CXOs and connects with a wider network of around 1.8 million technology professionals. 3AI continues to play a central role in galvanising India’s AI and GCC vision, fostering collaboration, and enabling organisations and leaders to advance with clarity, influence, and purpose.

Their Value Architecture

3AI’s offerings are structured around five core business pillars that deliver high-impact value to GCCs, AI builders, enterprises, and provider firms.

1. Thought Leadership Accentuation

3AI works with by-invite GCC and AI leaders through curated and personalised PoV identification, suitable speaking formats, and high-impact engagements. With thematic reports, whitepapers, SIG insights, panel sessions, and deep-dive conversations, the platform helps leaders amplify their thought leadership quotient and present differentiated viewpoints across the GCC and AI ecosystem.

2. Positioning & Branding

3AI works with partner enterprises to create strong brand saliency across the AI and GCC segments. Through premium showcases, spotlight features, structured narratives, and representation at high-visibility forums, the platform helps elevate positioning, enhance brand equity, and build long-term recall.

3. Talent Advocacy & Outreach

With access to 1,600+ AI and GCC leaders and a community of 56,000+ members, 3AI opens new avenues for talent advocacy and outreach across niche cohorts. Its initiatives, ranging from professional spotlights to community-driven engagements and mentoring, enable enterprises to highlight their talent and engage effectively with the wider AI and GCC workforce.

4. Ecosystem Access & Capability Buildup

Through a strong network of GCC leaders, AI professionals, partner firms, and academic institutions, 3AI offers broad ecosystem access. Collaborative programs, capability accelerators, SIG-led knowledge cohorts and industry scenario exploration help partner organisations stay ahead of market changes and strengthen business and technology maturity.

5. Professional Development

3AI’s professional development offerings focus on helping AI, analytics, and GCC professionals advance their careers. Curated leadership pathways, peer interactions, exposure opportunities, and immersion in Gen AI and Agentic AI support capability growth and prepare leaders for the next phase of AI and GCC evolution.

Carving Out a Unique Space

Building any business has its share of setbacks, but for 3AI, the biggest challenge has been creating an industry segment that had never existed before. The team has had to work closely with GCC and AI leaders to help them step out of their leadership inhibitions and adopt a fresh perspective around building differentiated thought leadership. Since these engagements involve senior and seasoned professionals, establishing understanding and trust has taken time. In addition, continuously challenging the status quo and introducing novel engagements and offerings has been an ongoing and demanding effort.

What sets 3AI apart is its position at the unique intersection of AI leadership, GCC segment development, and thought leadership democratisation, a space where no other organisation has achieved comparable scale or depth. Unlike consulting firms, learning platforms, or event-led communities, 3AI operates as a mission-driven platform and marketplace focused on elevating India’s AI and GCC leadership potential.

The platform’s differentiation is anchored in its extensive network of members and senior leaders representing enterprises and GCCs. Through PoV creation, SIG-led insights, thematic reports, whitepapers, leader showcases, and ecosystem narratives, 3AI enables leaders to strengthen and scale their thought leadership presence.

Its multi-pillar value framework gives 3AI an end-to-end advantage in a space where others typically focus on only one or two areas. Built on a leadership-centric approach, the platform emphasises sustained and strategic impact, with a strong focus on next-generation capabilities such as Generative AI and Agentic AI through curated insights and capability accelerators.

As an independent and neutral platform, 3AI provides a trusted environment for collaboration and leadership strengthening. Its commitment to advancing India’s global AI and GCC standing remains a core competitive advantage and a defining part of its mission.

What Drives 3AI

Over the years, 3AI has been shaped by a set of fundamental values that continue to guide its work and purpose.

Thought Leadership Democratisation: A core belief in democratising premier thought leadership at scale amongst AI and GCC leaders.

Strategic Leadership Orientation: A commitment to helping leaders strengthen their professional presence, amplify their expertise, and accelerate their career growth.

Innovation and Transformation: A continued drive to support GCCs and enterprises in pursuing bold innovation and meaningful business transformation through ecosystem development.

Community Building at Scale: A focus on creating a vibrant, global community that encourages learning, collaboration, and cross-pollination of ideas across industries and geographies.

Excellence in Leadership Development: A belief in personalised and high-impact interventions that help leaders reach advanced levels of leadership capability.

Building India’s Global Prowess: A commitment to advancing India’s position in the global AI and GCC landscape through ecosystem-strengthening initiatives.

Milestones That Matter

For Sameer, one of his biggest accomplishments as a leader has been choosing the path of risk over comfort throughout his career. He has consistently challenged the status quo and pushed himself beyond familiar boundaries. Creating an entirely new industry segment in the form of an AI and GCC platform and marketplace stands out as a key highlight for him. At 3AI, he has brought together all his previous learnings to define and scale offerings that are both pioneering and forward-looking.

For the organisation, success has been defined by steady word-of-mouth growth and credible referencibility. “We owe our growth to the positive feedback that we have received from our leaders and larger ecosystem,” shares Sameer.

Over the years, 3AI has also earned notable recognition and milestones. The platform was named among Forbes India’s Most Trusted Brands in 2024, reflecting the credibility and resilience it has built across the ecosystem. In addition, 3AI entered MoUs with the UAE and Telangana governments to support the creation and scaling of AI ecosystems, further strengthening its role in advancing industry development.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

3AI’s approach to staying ahead of industry shifts is rooted in a mindset of continuous curiosity and learning. Sameer believes that “leaders must be far more inquisitive, hungry, determined and zealous in their pursuit of knowledge than ever before,” and this philosophy is embedded deeply into the organisation’s operating DNA.

A key part of this approach is the development of multiple Special Interest Groups (SIGs) across Gen AI, Agentic AI, and other emerging areas. These SIGs function as real-time intelligence engines, bringing together practitioners, thought leaders, and domain experts to explore new possibilities, assess breakthroughs, and translate innovation into practical insights. Through these groups, 3AI produces curated knowledge sessions, thematic reports, whitepapers, and contextualised content that help members understand the evolving applications and trajectories of Gen AI and Agentic AI.

3AI also keeps a close watch on the rapidly changing AI and GCC landscape by scanning emerging signals, tracking global movements, and engaging with leaders across ecosystems. This ensures the organisation can anticipate change early and contribute to shaping new paradigms within its community. By combining structured intelligence gathering, community-driven insights, and its mission-led approach to thought leadership, 3AI remains equipped to respond to market shifts with clarity and confidence.

The Next Phase of AI & GCCs

Sameer notes that “the future of AI is full of infinite possibilities and punctuated with promise to life scenarios across industry segments.” With this perspective, 3AI remains committed to embracing change and defining the “New Next” in both AI and GCC segments through state-of-the-art, topical offerings and capabilities.

A major part of this future-focused effort is the GCC ONE Platform, one of 3AI’s most important current initiatives. With representation from more than 430 GCCs and 690 GCC leaders, GCC ONE brings together multiple GCC-focused properties under one unified umbrella. This platform offers GCCs, provider firms, and the broader ecosystem a comprehensive environment for thought leadership, positioning, branding, talent visibility, and ecosystem engagement.

It is built on a 5x15 framework across five key pillars of Thought Leadership Accentuation, Positioning & Branding, Talent Advocacy & Outreach, Ecosystem Access & Capability Buildup, and Professional Development. GCC ONE creates a unique opportunity for leaders to enhance their leadership mindshare while enabling access to novel frameworks, methodologies, playbooks and new-age capabilities essential for GCC evolution. It fosters meaningful connections, encourages professional camaraderie, and enables leaders to explore emerging scenarios, best practices, and trends shaping the future of the GCC landscape.

Closing Thoughts

3AI’s work today spans collaborations across enterprises, GCCs, and academic institutions. Sameer explains, “We have built deep and entrenched relationships with 190+ enterprises and GCCs and 145+ academic institutions, enabling us to curate bespoke programs and differentiated engagements and interventions, supporting organisations in strengthening their leadership quotient, branding, marketing, talent advocacy, GTM enablement, and partner identification.” 

Several GCCs have significantly advanced their AI and analytics capabilities through 3AI, establishing robust AI Centres of Excellence, engaging with relevant partner firms, and enhancing their overall maturity. For enterprises, the platform’s network of 1,600+ AI and analytics leaders has supported GTM acceleration and sales pipeline development. In the academic space, 3AI continues to act as a bridge between industry and institutions through leader interactions, student–industry exchanges, and curriculum design.

Reflecting upon his journey, Sameer shares his advice for emerging leaders: “Failures are imminent when you start on your own, and measuring success in gradual and incremental terms is critical. A startup journey requires maniacal focus with deep commitments, and staying ahead of the curve requires agility and nimbleness. Embrace an approach that lets you enjoy the journey rather than just results.”