Peak XV invests over $13.2m in five Indian AI startups

Peak XV announced investments in five early-stage AI companies in India during the Impact AI PitchFest on February 17, 2026, at the India AI Impact Summit.

The 120 crore rupee (US$13.23 million) funding aims to support products that actively guide decisions and integrate into workflows across sectors like employment, sales, and collaboration.

The companies focus on AI systems designed for long-term engagement, trust, and practical use in Indian language and culture.

Among them, Companion Labs develops interactive AI experiences for vernacular audiences, while Kello creates a platform for evaluating talent and career opportunities.

Memfold AI is building AI-native workspaces to improve knowledge work, and Round1 offers an AI-driven approach to recruitment.

Zoop enables offline businesses to sell via live video with AI tools. The investments reflect a shift toward AI that addresses real needs at a population scale in India.

🔗 Source: Peak XV

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

This AI investment fits a longer-term plan

Peak XV put INR 120 crore into the effort. The firm also has Rs 16,000 crore to deploy and has said AI will stay a priority 1.
AI work already takes up a large share. About one-third of startups in the latest Surge cohorts build in AI 1.
Managing director Rajan Anandan calls deeptech (advanced technology businesses rooted in scientific or engineering breakthroughs) the “final frontier” for India’s startup ecosystem 1.
The approach reaches into AI’s building blocks. Peak XV led a $15 million Series A (an early-stage funding round) for C2i Semiconductors, which targets data-center power efficiency 2.

India’s tech scene is moving from captive centers to global products

Anandan says India’s semiconductor ecosystem is “just getting started,” and likens the moment to “2008 e-commerce” 2.
That view supports a move away from captive design centers (in-house engineering teams serving a parent company) toward chips built in India for global markets 2.
He links the shift to a deep bench of engineers plus government-backed design-linked incentives that cut tape-out costs and risk. Tape-outs are the final step of sending a chip design for manufacturing 2.
Surge has also widened its reach, backing startups in the U.S., U.K., and Australia 1.