Peak XV takes startups on a Silicon Valley trip in AI push

Peak XV, the venture capital firm that split from Sequoia Capital last year, is taking its portfolio businesses from India, Southeast Asia and Australia on an “immersion” trip to Silicon Valley this week to meet several industry titans, the latest in the venture firm’s broadening offerings and networking flex.

About 60 founders, many backed by Peak XV’s powerfully influential program Surge, will join partners from the firm on the trip to meet industry leaders and visit AI research centers, according to a participant briefed on the matter.

The week includes strategy sessions with executives from OpenAI and Nvidia as well as Sequoia partner Doug Leone, and talks from seasoned operators like Uniphore chief Umesh Sachdev and DoorDash advisor Gokul Rajaram, according to an email the firm sent to portfolio startups seen by TechCrunch.

The program, internally dubbed “Immersion Week,” is the latest peek at Peak XV’s broadening roster beyond writing checks as competition intensifies among venture investors seeking access to the most promising AI startups globally.

India, one of the largest startup ecosystems, currently lacks the depth in deeptech and AI startups. Very few players in India are attempting to build foundational large language models. Sarvam AI, one such startup, announced a $41 million funding late last year led by Peak XV and Lightspeed India and scored a partnership with Microsoft last week.

Investors say that many existing startups in India are strategizing on what new capabilities to build and in finding customers overseas — and that’s where a trip like ‘Immersion’ can prove beneficial.

Peak XV, which has $2.5 billion to deploy in the region, has taken an aggressive approach since its split last year, rapidly building out its bench strength and networking capabilities across geographies.

Peak XV didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning. But in the email to portfolio businesses over the weekend, Peak XV told founders the trip would “focus on building world-class products” and gaining “a glimpse into the AI world.”

Peak XV Managing Directors Shailendra Singh, Rajan Anandan, Harshjit Sethi, Ashish Agrawal, and Surge Partner Pieter Kemps are among those hosting the week, according to the person briefed on the matter.