Peak XV doubles down on seed bets with $5M per startup, backs 18 new ventures

Peak XV Partners, managing over $10 billion in assets across India and Southeast Asia, has expanded its seed investment capacity through Surge, its dedicated early-stage platform. The 18-company Surge 12 cohort is the first to operate under the new $5 million ceiling per startup, up from $3 million previously. Peak XV deployed more than $50 million across the group, which has raised over $90 million in total seed funding. Managing director Rajan Anandan cited rising Series A thresholds and the emergence of more capital-intensive deeptech companies as drivers for the increase. The cohort spans AI safety, autonomous robotics, satellites, healthcare platforms, and fintech, with founders from San Francisco to Sydney. Notable companies include Alma, a personal computing platform from former Microsoft Research engineers, and August AI, a physician-led healthcare platform reaching 9 million users globally.