Peak XV Raises Surge Seed Investment Cap to $5M and Reveals 18-Startup Cohort

<div>
  <h2>Peak XV Partners Elevates Investment Strategy with Surge 12 Cohort</h2>

  <p id="speakable-summary" class="wp-block-paragraph">Peak XV Partners, a leading venture capital firm with over $10 billion in assets, has announced a significant increase in its investment per startup through its seed-stage platform, Surge, as it introduces a new cohort of 18 innovative companies.</p>

  <h3>Enhanced Investment Approach in the Latest Surge Cohort</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The latest group, known as Surge 12, marks a pivotal moment for Peak XV as it raises its investment cap to $5 million per startup, an increase from the previous $3 million limit. The firm invested over $50 million across this cohort, which collectively raised more than $90 million in seed funding.</p>

  <h3>Growing Demand for Capital-Intensive Startups</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The bar to raise a Series A has risen significantly,” stated Rajan Anandan, managing director at Peak XV, highlighting a trend towards more capital-intensive companies, particularly in deeptech, seeking larger seed rounds.</p>

  <h3>A Global Perspective on Innovation</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Anandan shared with TechCrunch that Surge continues to expand its global reach, with the current cohort featuring startups from San Francisco to Sydney. While five of the 18 companies primarily focus on the Indian market, the majority target global audiences, showcasing a diverse range of applications.</p>

  <h3>Surge's Impressive Track Record</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since its inception in 2019, when operating as Sequoia Capital India and Southeast Asia, Surge has backed over 180 startups led by founders from more than 18 nationalities. The firm reports that the top ten startups from past cohorts now generate over $1 billion in combined annual revenue.</p>

  <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full">
    <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1280" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/peak-xv-surge-founders.jpg" alt="Peak XV Surge 2026 cohort photo" class="wp-image-3170675" />
    <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">
      <span class="wp-element-caption__text">Surge founders at the Peak XV U.S. Immersion 2026</span>
      <span class="wp-block-image__credits"><strong>Image Credits:</strong> Peak XV Partners</span>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>

  <h3>A Multi-Faceted Investment Strategy</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Anandan emphasized that Surge represents one facet of Peak XV’s seed-stage investment approach. The firm actively follows through as companies progress through subsequent funding rounds, often backing repeat entrepreneurs and seasoned operators.</p>

  <h3>Diverse Startups in the Surge 12 Cohort</h3>
  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Surge 12 cohort includes startups specializing in a variety of sectors, including AI, robotics, healthcare, and fintech. From AI safety solutions to autonomous robots for infrastructure, these companies reflect a commitment to cutting-edge technology.</p>

  <h2>The Innovative Startups of Surge 12</h2>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://alma.inc/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Alma</a></strong> — Founded by Nischith Shadagopan M N and Vinod Ganesan, Alma is revolutionizing personal computing by making technology faster and more affordable, leveraging their experience from Microsoft Research.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.meetaugust.ai/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">August AI</a></strong> — Founded by Anuruddh Mishra, this healthcare platform combines AI with physician-led care, reaching over 9 million users worldwide.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://ditto.ai/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Ditto</a></strong> — Founded by UC Berkeley alumni, Ditto uses AI-powered matchmaking within iMessage to enhance college students' dating experiences. The startup previously raised $9.2 million in a seed round led by Peak XV.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://gamestock.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">GameStock</a></strong> — Founded by a team including Antoine Mistico, GameStock gamifies financial markets, making investing a competitive endeavor.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://hiloop.ai/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">HiLoop</a></strong> — This startup helps AI firms adapt general models for specific uses, founded by former engineers from Reducto.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://hoolahealth.in/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Hoola Health</a></strong> — Focused on children's healthcare, this platform offers consultations and various health services, founded by Deeksha Senguttuva.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://kello.ai/">Kello</a></strong> — An AI-powered talent-discovery platform founded by former Airbnb engineer Mona Gandhi, emphasizing potential over conventional credentials.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://kindling.team/">Kindling</a></strong> — This startup helps tech companies craft engaging communication through its AI-driven “storytelling operating system” co-founded by Adam Miller and Sachin Shah.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.puralink.com.au/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Puralink</a></strong> — Founded by Harrison Crowe-Maxwell and team, this startup is developing autonomous robots to navigate underground pipelines.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.reinforcelabs.ai/">Reinforce Labs</a></strong> — Focused on evaluating and improving AI systems, this venture is led by Anish Das Sarma, a former Google executive.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.riffle.studio/">Riffle</a></strong> — This browser-based platform enables musicians to collaborate efficiently, co-founded by Anurag Choudhary and deo.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://rosellabrokerage.com/">Rosella</a></strong> — Founded by Chris Dwyer and Sean Stuart, this AI-driven commercial insurance brokerage automates processes in securing business insurance.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.tribemoney.ai/">Tribe Money</a></strong> — This personal finance platform empowers users with AI tools for managing money and investments, founded by Himanshu Arora and Nikhil Shanker.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.ulook.space/">ULOOK</a></strong> — This startup, founded by Adheesh Boratkar and Siddhesh Ravindra Naik, develops autonomous satellite systems for radio-frequency sensing, targeting a global customer base.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://wingitclub.com/">Wingit</a></strong> — Founded by Nikunj Kothari and Saksham Khandelwal, this beauty platform caters to India’s premium market, enhancing the consumer shopping experience for high-end products.</p>

  <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Additionally, three startups in this cohort have yet to disclose their identities and focus areas, which include education, applied AI, and medical products.</p>
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Here are five FAQs regarding Peak XV’s recent announcement on the Surge seed investment ceiling and the new 18-startup cohort:

FAQ 1: What is the Surge program by Peak XV?

Answer: The Surge program is an initiative by Peak XV to support early-stage startups through seed investments and mentorship. It aims to provide startups with the necessary resources, guidance, and funding to scale their businesses effectively.

FAQ 2: What is the new investment ceiling for the Surge program?

Answer: The investment ceiling for the Surge program has been increased to $5 million per startup. This allows Peak XV to invest more significantly in promising early-stage companies, helping them accelerate their growth.

FAQ 3: How many startups are included in the latest cohort?

Answer: The latest Surge cohort includes 18 startups. These companies have been selected based on their innovative ideas, market potential, and the capability of their founding teams.

FAQ 4: What criteria does Peak XV use to select startups for the Surge program?

Answer: Peak XV evaluates startups based on several criteria, including the uniqueness of their business model, market potential, the founders’ expertise, and the scalability of their product or service. The selection process also considers the startup’s vision and long-term goals.

FAQ 5: What types of support can startups expect from the Surge program?

Answer: Startups in the Surge program can expect a combination of financial support, strategic mentoring, access to a network of industry experts, and resources for business development. This comprehensive support is designed to help them navigate their growth phases successfully.

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Laude Institute Unveils Inaugural Cohort of ‘Slingshots’ AI Grants

Laude Institute Launches Innovative Slingshots Grants to Propel AI Research

On Thursday, the Laude Institute unveiled its inaugural Slingshots grants, focused on enhancing the development and application of artificial intelligence.

Empowering Researchers with Essential Resources

The Slingshots program serves as an accelerator for researchers, offering vital resources often lacking in traditional academic settings. These include funding, computational power, and product engineering support. In return, grant recipients commit to delivering tangible outcomes—be it a startup, an open-source codebase, or another noteworthy creation.

First Cohort Tackles AI Evaluation Challenges

The program’s initial cohort comprises 15 projects, primarily targeting the intricate issue of AI evaluation. Among the featured initiatives are well-known projects such as Terminal Bench, a command-line coding benchmark, and the evolving ARC-AGI project.

Innovative Solutions from New Projects

Some projects introduce novel strategies to long-standing evaluation issues. For instance, Formula Code, developed by Caltech and UT Austin researchers, aims to assess AI agents’ capacity for optimizing existing code. Meanwhile, BizBench from Columbia proposes a comprehensive benchmark for evaluating “white-collar AI agents.” Additional grants are dedicated to exploring new frameworks for reinforcement learning and model compression.

Dynamic Competition: The CodeClash Initiative

John Boda Yang, co-founder of SWE-Bench, is leading a new initiative called CodeClash as part of this cohort. Drawing inspiration from SWE-Bench’s success, CodeClash aims to evaluate code through an engaging, competition-focused framework.

Insights from Industry Experts

“I believe that ongoing evaluations based on core third-party benchmarks drive progress,” Yang shared with TechCrunch. “My concern is the potential future where benchmarks become too tailored to specific companies.”

Here are five FAQs regarding the Laude Institute’s announcement of the first batch of "Slingshots" AI grants:

FAQ 1: What are the "Slingshots" AI grants?

Answer: The "Slingshots" AI grants are funding opportunities offered by the Laude Institute aimed at supporting innovative projects that leverage artificial intelligence. These grants are designed to promote groundbreaking research and development in the AI sector.

FAQ 2: Who is eligible to apply for these grants?

Answer: Eligibility for the "Slingshots" AI grants typically includes researchers, academics, startups, and organizations focused on AI initiatives. Specific eligibility criteria may vary, so it’s essential for potential applicants to review the guidelines provided by the Laude Institute.

FAQ 3: How much funding is available through the "Slingshots" AI grants?

Answer: While the exact amount of funding may vary by project, the "Slingshots" AI grants offer significant financial support to selected projects. Interested applicants can find detailed information on the funding range in the grant guidelines available on the Laude Institute’s website.

FAQ 4: What types of projects are prioritized for funding?

Answer: The "Slingshots" AI grants prioritize projects that demonstrate innovative uses of artificial intelligence, including but not limited to machine learning applications, AI in healthcare, environmental sustainability, and solutions addressing societal challenges. Projects that align with these themes are encouraged to apply.

FAQ 5: How can interested applicants apply for the grants?

Answer: Interested applicants can apply for the "Slingshots" AI grants by visiting the Laude Institute’s official website. There, they will find the application form and guidelines, including deadlines and submission requirements. It’s recommended to prepare a comprehensive proposal outlining the project’s goals, methodology, and expected impact.

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