The ninth cohort of early-stage startups in Peak XV Partners’ fast scale-up program Surge has begun with 32 founders from 13 startups.
With the addition of startups based in Australia, Cohort 09 marks the first time that Peak XV has ventured into a larger Asia-Pacific region since rebranding from Sequoia India & Southeast Asia.
It is noteworthy that ten of the thirteen startups are centered around artificial intelligence (AI) and deeptech, with businesses operating in advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, health tech, and climate tech, among other areas.
Surge 09 will feature four Southeast Asian and seven Indian startups, plus two Australian ones. India is home to Ethereal Machines, Elivaas, Incore, Mindgrove, Newtrace, and ZeroK, while one startup is still in stealth.
Twelve startups from India and Southeast Asia are part of the eighth cohort, which Surge announced in March.
“As we kick start new company-building journeys with our Surge 09 founders, it is clear that we are witnessing the incredible growth of AI and deeptech innovation, as well as the abundant talent in these sectors emerging from Asia. We are thrilled to be at the frontlines of innovation alongside our ambitious founders, who are leveraging their expertise to chart new ground in exciting, emerging technologies,” said Rajan Anandan, managing director, Peak XV, and Surge.
In less than five years, Surge has expanded to include over 140 startups in 16 sectors and over 330 founders. In follow-on funding, Surge startups have raised over $2 billion in total to date.
