On February 17, 2026, during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA) announced a significant investment of approximately ₹160 crore ($13.23 million) in five promising early-stage AI startups. The investments were unveiled at the Impact AI PitchFest, where the firm emphasized its focus on “population-scale” AI products that address the real-world needs of India’s 900 million+ internet users.
The move marks a strategic shift toward Agentic AI—systems that don’t just chat but actively guide decisions, take actions, and reduce friction in everyday tasks.
The “Impact Five” Startups
The selected startups represent a diverse cross-section of consumer and enterprise AI, ranging from entertainment to recruitment.
| Startup | Core Focus | Key Innovation |
| Companion Labs | Consumer Entertainment | Building interactive, vernacular AI narratives that allow users to explore “alternate lives.” |
| Kello | Hiring Intelligence | A career platform that has mapped 32M+ professionals, evaluating talent through capability signals. |
| Memfold AI | Enterprise Productivity | Developing “AI-native workspaces” designed to fundamentally rethink how knowledge work is done. |
| Round1 | Recruitment Tech | Replacing traditional resume filters with AI-led interviews; currently conducting 500+ interviews/day. |
| Zoop | Live Commerce | AI-powered marketplace for offline sellers to engage in live video commerce with autonomous agents. |
Strategy: Solving for the “Next Billion”
Speaking at the PitchFest, Rajan Anandan, Managing Director at Peak XV, articulated the firm’s investment philosophy for the AI era.
- Execution Over Scale: Anandan argued that India’s AI leadership will be defined by who builds products that work at population scale rather than who builds the largest foundational models.
- Deep-Tech as a Priority: Peak XV has designated AI as its “Priority 1,” with over ₹16,000 crore of dry powder still available for deployment.
- Semiconductor Synergy: To support this software layer, the firm also recently led a $15 million Series A for C2i Semiconductors, an Indian startup focused on data-center power efficiency.
Context: A Multi-Billion Dollar Week
The Peak XV announcement was part of a broader wave of capital commitments at the Summit:
- IDTA: Carved out a $1 billion allocation for Indian AI startups.
- Qualcomm: Announced a dedicated $150 million Strategic AI Venture Fund.
- National Mission: The Indian government highlighted that over 38,000 high-end GPUs have already been onboarded to support such startups at subsidized rates.
“India’s AI opportunity lies in solving real needs—helping people find jobs, grow income, and build businesses. This focus on relevance to Indian language and culture is what will define our leadership.” — Rajan Anandan, Peak XV.
