Automation Anywhere, a $2-billion company founded by Indians in Silicon Valley, is now scouting for acquisitions in India with the $550-million funding it raised recently.

The company, which works on automating any enterprise process within days using software robots, has been growing at over 100 per cent year-on-year for over a decade. Now, Automation Anywhere wants to grow at 200-300 per cent year-on-year inorganically.

"Enterprises are looking to go digital and in that journey they need to first make their operations and then their processes digital. Any technology that can help us build that transition for enterprises, we would be looking to invest in it," Ankur Kothari, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Automation Anywhere, told BusinessLine .

"The companies that we are looking at are in double digits. We are looking at acquisitions in primarily three areas. First, is to get access to technology that can give us undue advantage in AI, RPA and related technologies. Second, companies that can give us access to new geographies quickly. Third, companies that can help us scale our bots’ marketplace," Kothari said.

On Thursday, Automation Anywhere appointed Milan Sheth as Executive Vice-President for India, Middle East and Africa East Region. Sheth, who's previously worked with Ernst & Young, would look at scaling the India market for Automation Anywhere.

"Currently, over 30 per cent of our bots are deployed in India. That makes it one of the largest markets for us," Sheth said. "In the last one year we have grown 200 per cent in India and we want to further accelerate this growth. We plan to double our partner base to 300 from the current 160 in the next one year in India."

Automation Anywhere, which raised its first round of funds after 13 years of operations in one of the largest series A funding, is rapidly expanding its global footprint. While the company currently has offices in 20 countries, it plans to more than double that by March 2019.

While most companies look West when it comes to expanding their technology business, for Automation Anywhere, the growing number of Global Innovation Centres in India are helping them grow their India business faster than other markets.

"In the past, most of the deals were signed in the West. Now that most of the large MNCs have their GICs in India, some of the deals get signed in India itself, while for others, even if the deal is signed in the US or Europe, the actual work takes place in India itself, which is helping turn India into a global process automation hub," Kothari said.

Automation Anywhere is also working with 30 Indian universities to promote curriculum in robotic process automation to help create enough skill-sets required in the market.

According to Kothari, the company is also in talks with the National Skills Development Corporation to offer courses in RPA in smaller cities and towns.

"We plan to train one lakh students directly through our online academy in the next one year, of which we expect at least 50,000 to be from India," Kothari said.

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