Peak XV Partners has announced the 12th cohort of its seed-stage programme, Surge, bringing together 18 early-stage startups working across artificial intelligence, robotics, space, consumer technology, healthcare, music and fintech.
The latest cohort includes Alma, August AI, Ditto, GameStock, hiloop, Hoola Health, Kello, Kindling, Puralink, Reinforce Labs, Riffle, Rosella, Tribe Money, ULOOK and Wingit, along with three startups that are currently operating in stealth mode.
The new cohort reflects the growing use of AI not only as a product feature but as the underlying technology architecture for new businesses. The startups are also exploring technology-led opportunities across consumer experiences, healthcare, financial markets and physical infrastructure.
Among the companies, Alma is developing AI-native personal computing infrastructure, while August AI is building AI-powered clinical intelligence for primary care. Ditto is developing an AI dating matchmaker within iMessage, and GameStock is creating a social and competitive layer for financial markets.
In healthcare, Hoola Health is building a paediatric care platform, while Kello is developing a people intelligence engine. Kindling is focused on storytelling for technology startups, while Reinforce Labs is working on AI evaluation, red teaming and remediation for enterprises.
The cohort also includes startups working on physical infrastructure and space technology. Puralink is developing autonomous robots designed for underground pipe infrastructure, while ULook is building RF sensing satellites for spectrum intelligence.
On the consumer and creative technology side, Riffle is developing a browser-based collaborative music platform, while Rosella is building an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage. Tribe Money is developing an AI-based personal finance platform, and Wingit is building a beauty platform aimed at premium consumers.
The founders in the latest cohort bring experience from companies and organisations including Google, Airbnb, Microsoft Research, Sarvam AI and Reducto.
Kello co-founder Mona Gandhi was Airbnb’s first female engineer, while Reinforce Labs founder Anish Das Sarma previously led artificial intelligence and machine learning teams as a Director at Google.
Peak XV said the latest Surge cohort highlights a broader shift in the startup ecosystem, with AI increasingly becoming the foundation on which products are being built. The cohort also includes businesses attempting to rethink familiar consumer experiences and apply advanced technology to physical infrastructure.
Surge Offers Up To $5 Million In Seed Funding
Through Surge, Peak XV provides seed-stage startups with funding of up to $5 million, alongside support in areas including hiring, product development, engineering, go-to-market strategy, marketing, communications, policy and global expansion.
The programme was launched in 2019 and has since backed more than 180 startups across over 18 nationalities.
According to Peak XV, the programme’s top 10 companies generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue, highlighting the scale achieved by some of the businesses that have emerged from the Surge ecosystem.
With its 12th cohort, Surge continues to focus on early-stage founders building technology-led companies across sectors, with artificial intelligence playing a central role across several of the new ventures.
-By Shivani Solanki
