Peak XV Partners — formerly Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia — is one of the most consequential venture firms in the region's startup history. Rebranded in 2023 when Sequoia split its global partnerships, the firm carries forward a journey that began in 2006 as Sequoia Capital India.
The scale is formidable: $10 billion+ in assets under management, more than 450 investments, and 36 IPOs across five countries, built over 20+ years of investing. Few firms anywhere can match that hit rate of category-defining companies.
Thesis & stages: Peak XV invests across the full company lifecycle — seed, venture and growth — partnering with founders from idea to IPO and beyond. The firm describes its approach as backing "audacious" founders building enduring companies.
Sectors: The firm's stated focus spans SaaS, AI, developer tools, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, climate tech, fintech, healthtech and consumer — essentially the full stack of India's digital economy, with growing emphasis on AI-native businesses.
Flagship programmes: Peak XV runs Surge, its renowned early-stage programme for seed and pre-seed founders (often called the YC of the region), alongside Spark, aimed at women founders. Surge in particular has become a powerful founder community and a top-of-funnel engine for the firm's seed investing.
Team & presence: With offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore and San Francisco, Peak XV pairs deep local networks with global connectivity — useful for founders eyeing US expansion or global capital.
Recent activity: The firm continues to lead major rounds — including a $45 million Series B in industrial SaaS company Blacksmith — showing its growth-stage engine remains in high gear even as it seeds the next generation through Surge.
Fund size: Publicly stated at $10B+ AUM on the firm's LinkedIn profile; individual fund vintages are not publicly disclosed.
Why it matters for founders
If you're raising a seed round in India or Southeast Asia, Surge is one of the highest-leverage applications you can file — it combines capital, community and the Peak XV brand in one shot. For growth-stage founders, the firm's IPO track record (36 and counting) means a partner that actually knows the road to listing.