From building a technology company in Belagavi to working on open-source AI for the UK government, Dr Ameet Patil’s technology journey has entered a new chapter.
Belagavi entrepreneur and Ecobillz founder Dr Ameet Patil has been selected as one of three fellows under the Open Source AI Fellowship, a programme that places AI specialists within the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to develop open-source AI tools for public services. The 12-month programme is delivered by the Alan Turing Institute and backed by a $1 million investment from Meta.
For Belagavi, the recognition is significant. Ameet has been part of the city’s technology ecosystem for nearly two decades.
From Belagavi to the UK and back
Ameet grew up in Belagavi, studied at St. Mary’s High School and KLE College of Engineering, and developed an interest in computers from an early age. He went on to earn a PhD in Computer Science from the University of York, UK, specialising in real-time systems.
In 2009, Ameet returned from the UK to Belagavi and founded Spundhan Softwares, focusing on real-time systems and embedded technology. At the time, he told AllAboutBelgaum that he considered himself a “Belgaum product” and wanted to build his venture from his hometown.
His entrepreneurial journey later led to Ecobillz, which he co-founded with Nitesh Rathore in 2016.
From digital bills to AI
Ecobillz began with a simple idea: reduce the huge amount of paper generated by printed bills and receipts. The company developed technology that could digitise bills without requiring businesses to change their existing billing systems.
The platform subsequently evolved into an AI-driven business digitisation and automation platform, particularly for the hospitality industry. Its services include digital check-in and check-out, document management, reconciliation, income audit and back-office automation. By 2022, Ecobillz said its technology was being used by more than 120 premium five-star hotels and had digitised around 25 million documents.
Today, Ecobillz has expanded its footprint across India, the UAE and the UK, with more than 400 hotels reported among its clients in a 2025 profile. �
All About Belgaum
Now, open-source AI for public services
The new fellowship brings Ameet’s experience in AI, automation and enterprise technology into the public sector.
As an Open Source AI Fellow, he will work within the UK government ecosystem on open-source AI applications aimed at addressing challenges in public services.
For someone who returned to Belagavi from the UK in 2008 to build a technology venture here, the latest milestone represents a journey that has moved from embedded systems and startups to AI and public-sector technology on an international stage.
And throughout that journey, Belagavi has remained an important part of Ameet Patil’s story.