Five AI Startups Secure Peak XV Support to Build Population-Scale Solutions Peak XV invested in Companion Labs, Kello, Memfold AI, Round1, and Zoop, advancing AI across entertainment, hiring, productivity, and commerce.
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Venture capital firm Peak XV Partners has announced investments in five early-stage AI startups at the Impact AI PitchFest, held as part of the India AI Impact Summit on 17 February 2026.
The selected companies reflect a new phase of AI adoption in India, where tools are evolving from passive assistants into agent-driven systems that guide decisions, automate tasks, and operate within routine workflows. These systems aim to support activities ranging from job discovery and hiring to online selling, workplace collaboration, and digital entertainment.
"India's AI opportunity will not be defined by who builds the biggest models, but by who builds products that work at population scale," said Rajan Anandan, Managing Director at Peak XV. "With over 900 million Indians online, the real opportunity lies in solving real needs, helping people find jobs, grow income, and build businesses using AI."
Among the companies backed is Companion Labs, which is developing interactive AI entertainment experiences tailored to India's diverse languages and cultural contexts.
Kello is building a career and hiring intelligence platform that evaluates real-world skills and has already mapped more than 32 million professionals.
Memfold AI is creating AI-native workspaces designed to transform knowledge work. Its flagship product integrates research and document creation while retaining context and intent over time.
Round1, an AI-driven recruitment platform, conducts over 500 AI-led interviews daily and aims to make hiring more merit-based through structured conversations rather than résumé filtering.
Zoop is building an AI-powered live commerce marketplace enabling offline retailers and wholesalers to sell directly via live video. The platform integrates tools such as voice-based cataloguing, live coaching, and operational automation to improve seller productivity.
Together, the investments signal a broader transformation in how AI is applied across careers, commerce, and workplace productivity. As foundational models become widely available, differentiation is increasingly defined by real-world usefulness and user trust. Peak XV said it will work closely with the startups as they scale products, talent, and market reach in the coming months.
