Surge picks 10 AI, deeptech startups for latest cohort

Photo credit: Surge

Surge, Peak XV‘s program for early-stage startups, introduced its ninth cohort, which features 13 startups.

The ninth cohort marks the first Surge program after Peak XV was broken off into an independent unit from Sequoia Capital. It also expands the reach of Peak XV, then known as Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, with this cohort including two startups from Australia for the first time.

Additionally, 10 of the 13 participating startups are working on AI and deeptech solutions.

Two of the startups in the cohort are Mindgrove and InCore, semiconductor companies based in India.

AI-focused startups in the group include Australia-based Relevance AI, which helps enterprises build a workforce that automates workflows, and Singapore-based Pix.ai, a platform where creators can produce anime art.

Rajan Anandan, managing director of Peak XV and Surge, said that the firm will be working with its founders to explore more opportunities in these sectors.

Surge provides up to US$3 million in seed funding to participating startups, along with company-building workshops and support from a network of mentors and founders. Since its establishment in 2019, the program has helped more than 140 startups from over 16 sectors, which have collectively raised over US$2 billion in follow-on funding.

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