Venture capital firm Peak XV Partners has announced the 11th cohort of its early-stage accelerator program, Surge, welcoming 23 startups spanning artificial intelligence (AI), financial services, consumer products, and developer tools.
AI continues to dominate the cohort, with 12 startups working on enterprise solutions, consumer applications, and industry-specific offerings.
This marks Surge’s third cohort since Peak XV Partners spun out from Sequoia Capital to operate independently. The cohort features founders from both India and international markets. Key startups in the AI and financial services space include Finster, Ignosis, OnFinance, Vault Wealth, and Cybrilla. Other startups developing enterprise and consumer solutions include AIR Trading, JustAI, Pre6, Palo, Qbeast, Round1, SixSense, Thanks, Supanote, Tonbo.io, and Nirmata, along with three stealth-mode AI startups.
Consumer-focused brands in the cohort include footwear label Aretto, skincare brand Neude Skin, lifestyle apparel brand NEAU, and activewear brand Ten X You.
“AI is leading the charge, not just in enterprise applications but by beginning to transform traditional industries from banking and healthcare to semiconductors and manufacturing. We are also seeing the emergence of new consumer AI companies, which is incredibly exciting,” said Rajan Anandan, managing director of Peak XV and Surge.
“But AI is not the full story — we are now seeing the next wave of fintech companies and exciting new consumer companies in India and our region. This cohort truly offers a glimpse of the future,” he added.
Since launching in 2019, Surge has supported over 170 startups and more than 400 founders, spanning 18 sectors and 17 nationalities. Startups from earlier cohorts have collectively raised over $3 billion in follow-on funding.
Originally, Surge invested $1–2 million per startup, but it has since increased the funding ceiling to $3 million and expanded participation to a wider range of companies. Beyond capital, founders receive hands-on support from the Surge investment and operating teams in areas such as hiring, fundraising, product development, technology, and marketing. The program also provides company-building workshops and mentorship sessions with global operators and investors.
Past speakers and mentors have included Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Info Edge), Harshil Mathur (Razorpay), Kunal Shah (Cred), and Prukalpa Sankar (Atlan).
Peak XV Partners, which invests across India, Southeast Asia, and other regions, manages around $9 billion in capital across 13 funds and has backed more than 400 companies.
